Nothing is What it Seems
by NekoSama
Summary: A bad day compounds, and everthing is going haywire---This is a revision of my original fic!
1. Darien's worst nightmare

(Note... for the newbies to the fandom...I posted this series before, but since this was my first fanfic for the genre, I'm re‑writing the series. Enjoy!!! ‑‑‑‑From Neko, one of the queens of angst))

Nothing is What it Seems

Fanfic by: NekoSama (aka Chris) and Doretta (aka Desiree)

Email: nekosama@ix.netcom.com and dstreeter78@yahoo.com

Status:Part 1

Catagory:Angst

Season: after Beholder

Rating:PG for Violence

Summary:A bad day turns worse.

Standard disclaimer: The Invisible Man and all the characters are not ours and are used without permission. We are not getting paid for this.

Darien woke with a start. He was still having nightmares about killing people, and this one had been about Claire.  He had to find a way to stop these nightmares. And he hoped that wouldn't require a bullet in his head. He went to pick up the phone when his head started to pound. 'Not again,' he thought.  

He looked at the tattoo on his wrist and it was almost full. 'How can this be?  Could I have gone invisible while I was asleep?' he pondered.

He jumped from the bed, staring at his wrist as he ran for the phone.  Dialing frantically, he began rummaging  through his kitchen drawers looking for aspirin to subdue the pounding in his head.

"This is the keeper..." her machine began.  

"Ah Crap," Darien silently cursed as he slammed the phone down.  "Where the hell is she?"

He grabbed the back of his head as the pain increased.  He picked the phone back up and dialed Hobbes' number.  He knew he would not be able to drive in this state of mind.

Hobbes answered his phone on the second ring. He was usually not far from his phone.

"Hobbes...you gotta swing by my place...fast,"  Darien pleaded into the phone trying to keep his cool.

"You got it partner," Hobbes answered without hesitation.  

Darien wondered if the pain was so obvious in his voice. He tried to calm his mind as he waited for Hobbes to arrive.  He pushed the violent thoughts back as far as they could go.  

He didn't want to risk hurting his partner, who was also his best friend, even though he would never admit it.  In the short time they had worked together, Hobbes had proven himself in many ways, a million times over. And Darien was learning to accept his help, to put his trust in him, and to let the man do his job.

The knocking at his door made Darien's eyes shoot open.  The light from the lamp next to the couch blinded him as he slowly rose from the couch and stumbled to answer the door.

"Fawkes, are you all right?" Hobbes asked, concern ringing in his voice.  He could tell Darien must be hurting when he heard him on the phone.  "Come on, buddy. Answer me!"

The door swung open feebly, Darien barely keeping his balance as Hobbes stepped in through the frame.

"I couldn't get hold of the keeper.." he barely got out as he crumpled over.

"We gotta get the doc a beeper or somethin'" Hobbes smirked as he threw Darien's arm over his shoulder and helped him limp down the hallway.  For a man Hobbes' size...he sure could hold his own.

Darien slumped into the passenger's seat of the van.

Hobbes pushed the van into overdrive making it to the lab in record time. 

Darien's eyes were starting to turn red as Hobbes helped him out of the van.

"Keep!" he yelled down the hallway as his partner cringed at the sound and grasped his head.  "Keep!" There was no sound coming from the lab as they  neared the door.  

Hobbes slid Darien's key into the lock and the door whooshed open.  All the lights were out, leaving the lab in an eerie silence.

Hobbes helped Darien into the chair and flicked on the lights.

"Where the hell is she?" Hobbes shouted.  Darien curled into a ball and started to shake. "Hang on pal, I'm going to find out what's going on!" and Hobbes went down the hall in search of someone who knew the Keeper's whereabouts.   

He barged into the Official's office, a smart ass remark on his tongue, but was greeted by the same deserted silence that hung in the lab.

"Where the...?" he started as he spun back toward the door and ran back down the hall.

Darien lay unconscious in the chair, shivering from the ache that flooded him. "Alright, buddy," Hobbes whispered as he gripped Darien's arm and sat him up straight.  "Let's see what I can do."   Hobbes made his way to the refrigerator, creaking open the door and rummaged through the contents.

The Keeper had a shot all ready to give to Darien, since has was close to his six days. Hobbes grabbed the needle and rushed back over to Darien.  He took an alcohol wipe and swabbed Darien's arm before inserting the needle. He waited for Darien to wake up, still wondering where the hell everyone else was.

"This might hurt a bit," Hobbes said as he shook Darien's shoulders.  "Wake up, pal.  Come on..I'm not real sure how to do this."

Darien's eyes flickered open and his reddened gaze locked on his partner's eyes.  

"Ahh Christ.." Hobbes started as Darien jumped from the chair, lunging at his friend who struggled to stay on his feet.

Darien knocked Hobbes to the floor and started choking him.

'I don't want to hurt him, but I don't want him to kill me either,' Hobbes thought as he smacked his hands on Darien's ears.  

Darien howled in pain from the earclap which gave Hobbes the opportunity he need to subdue Darien.

Lunging for the dropped counter agent, Hobbes eyed Darien as he lay rolling in pain.  He grabbed cold metal of the syringe while rising to his feet.  After surveying the vial for any damage, he turned to check on his partner...but the room was once again empty.  The lights flicked off before Hobbes could call out his first "Darien" and the door slid open.  

"Dammit!" he cursed himself as he covered the needle and slid it into his coat pocket, reaching for his gun.

Darien ran down the hallway and into the Official's office.  He frowned when he realized no one was there.  He wanted to get that fat bastard.  Well he'd have to settle for killing his partner first and then track down the Official and the Keeper later.

His plans...oh yes they were sublime. His boss begging for mercy before he died. And his lovely Keeper... her blond hair plastered flat on the floor while he played with her.

"Darien..." he heard a voice coming at him from down the hallway.  "Come out for me will ya?  I'm kinda sick 'a this game..." 

Hobbes walked the corridor from the lab to the official's office, gun drawn, halting at every creek and settle of the floor.  He DID hate this game. It scared the hell out of him.

"Come on, Darien," he continued.  "I ain't got the tranq gun here, big guy.  It's the real deal.  Don't make me use it...cause with you see‑through I can't promise a good shot."

"Then let's play a new game.  Can you kill me before I kill you?" Darien laughed, all of the sanity gone from his voice.

Hobbes stood breathlessly still, cocking his weapon and aiming it toward the area of open space where Darien's voice had echoed from.

"Come on, buddy...don't do this.."

"Don't do THIS?" 

Hobbes attempted to lunge to the floor and out of the way as Darien's insane whisper filled his ear and his breath snaked down his neck. 

Darien's hand was around his friend's throat before Hobbes hit the ground.

Hobbes' hand fumbled into his pocket grabbing the vial of counteragent.  He stabbed the needle into the space where Darien's arm was choking him and pressed the plunger.

"AAAHHH!" Hobbes screamed as the needle slid past it's mark and punctured his own neck, because Darien twisted slightly.  "Dammit!" The hall blurred around him as Darien's hold loosened around his neck.  

"Enjoy it, buddy," Darien said maliciously as he shoved his partner to the floor, stood, and surveyed his options. "I've had to endure that crap for months."

"Darien..." Hobbes said feebly, stretching his arm up to the figure hovering above him.  "Get the Keeper..."

"Sorry, pal.  I gotta run."  With that, Darien took off sprinting down the hallway, shedding the quicksilver from his form as he plunged through the glass doors of the agency, just for the hell of it.

Hobbes lay motionless on the concrete walk watching the lights flicker above him.

***

"Wake up Robert!" Eberts shouted as he shook Hobbes' limp form.  

He did not stir.

Eberts went in search of someone who could help him move Hobbes to the lab.

"Bobby?"  He flicked his eyes open immediately going to his side for his gun. "No, Bobby...it's alright," Claire told him quietly as she held his arms down.  "You're in the lab. You're fine. Relax."

He quickly surveyed the room looking for signs of something he couldn't quite remember.        

"Where's Darien?" came a peeved voice from a dark corner of the room.

"Hell if I'd tell you if I knew," he shot toward the figure as he emerged from the dark.

"We need to know, Robert."  Eberts walked to the side of the chair and peered down on the agent as he lay there still too weak to move.

"I don't remember..." Hobbes said shakily.

"Would it have something to do with this?" Claire asked as she held up the empty vial of counteragent.

Hobbes looked blankly at the vial. "Maybe... my head really hurts."

"I always wondered what would happen if someone else was injected with the counteragent," Claire mused as she set the vial down.

"Yeah, well I'm glad I could be of service," he remarked as he tried to sit up.

"Sit down, Robert," Eberts directed as the lackey held him down.  "We want information."

"I'll give you some information, pal," Hobbes started up, "if  you don't get your sorry, pathetic hand off me..."

"Enough!" Claire interrupted.  "Stop it, both of you. This is going to get us nowhere.  Besides, Eberts, I want him up and walking."

"Fine," Eberts conceded stepping back but never taking his eyes off Bobby.

Hobbes righted himself as he glared at the man who's life he was now determined to make hell.   

"Agent Fawkes has apparently gone in insane and we need to find him," Eberts replied coldly straightening his tie.

"And why do you think I know where he went?" Hobbes commented glaring at Eberts. Something wasn't right about Eberts, and it was setting all of his senses crazy. He KNEW if he said something, though, Claire would just dismiss him, again.

Leaving his question hanging, Eberts just stared.

"Get up, Bobby...if you can," Claire said gingerly.  

He placed his feet under him and received a jolt of pain causing him to grasp the edge of the chair with his hands.  

"I'm fine," Hobbes quipped as he jumped down.  His butt hit the floor a split second after his feet did.

"Sure you're fine," Claire shook her head and helped Hobbes back to his feet.  "You need to take it slowly.  I'm not exactly sure what the counteragent does to someone else's bloodstream.  It may not react well with the medication you're already taking."

"That's a comforting thought.  Thanks, Keep,"  and he walked around slowly trying to regain his balance.

"If we could get to the problem at hand..." Eberts started.

Hobbes turned to face Eberts who stood his ground trying with everything he had to be official.  

"Listen, Eeeberts," he started, "I don't know where he went.  He was having issues, I was tryin' to give him a shot, he turned on me...." he trailed off trying to regain composure.  Getting worked up was something he was very good at.  "Look...I got the shot....he disappeared, literally!"

Eberts stood glaring for another second before walking quickly from the room.

"Come on, Keep," Hobbes sighed thinking of Darien.  "Let's go get him."

"Right," she replied grabbing her coat and following Hobbes out the door.

They walked to Claire's van since Hobbes still was not very steady on his feet. 

"Where do you think he went?" Claire asked putting her key in the ignition.  She yelped when an unseen form pulled open her door and yanked her out of the van.

"Get out of the van, Hobbes," came Darien's voice from the empty space next to Claire.  

Stepping out of the van, Hobbes could see the imprint of fingers around Claire's throat and what looked like the butt of a gun pressed against her temple.

Hobbes moved his hand to his side where he kept his gun. He had to stop Darien at all costs.  He just hoped his aim was good enough not to hit the Keeper.

"Put it down, Fawkes," Hobbes commanded, aiming his weapon at just to the side of Claire.

"I don't think you're in the position to tell me to do anything," Darien answered giving Claire a shake as he pushed them a few steps closer to the armed agent.

The shot echoed down the street, vibrating off the cars, and setting off alarms. Claire hit the ground as her attacker let loose on his hold. A small puddle of blood lay spilled on the sidewalk, spilling into the gutter beneath her feet.

"Keep!" Hobbes yelled as he ran to Claire.  "Keep..You alright?!  JESUS EBERTS!! You hit her!"

"No, Bobby...no..." she countered as Eberts crossed the sidewalk and joined them by the van, gun still smoking in hand.

Claire pushed Hobbes away from her as she rolled to her side.  She palmed her way to Darien's neck to check for a pulse.  She found it, albeit weak.

Hobbes bolted from the sidewalk stepping up to the lackey.  Bumping chests, he looked Eberts straight in the eye. 

"You got a thing for shootin' agents, don't ya?" Hobbes said angrily, forcing Eberts to take a step back.

"Well, he was going to kill her, and it didn't look like you were going to do anything about it," Eberts countered angrily.

"Not now, Eberts!" Claire shouted.  "If you want him to stay alive I need to get him to the lab NOW!"

Hobbes helped Claire lift Darien and then looked back to Eberts. "Are you gonna help or not?"

Eberts flared his nostrils, but remained silent as he helped then move Darien back into the lab.

Shedding the quicksilver on the sidewalk, Darien's visible, bruised body was lifted by the trio and hurried into the lab.  

"Get me those bandages," Claire ordered pointing in the direction of the cupboards lining the wall.

Pushing Eberts out of the way, Hobbes flung open the doors and rummaged through the contents pulling out every package of gauze he could find.  "Here ya go, Keep," he said as he handed them to her.  He rested his hands on his head as he began pacing.

Claire bandaged up Darien and checked his pulse again.  It was very weak.  "He's not doing very well.  We need to get him to a hospital. After I give him his shot of counteragent." 

Hobbes dialed 911 as Claire prepared to administer the shot. "They're on their way," Hobbes said as he turned to Eberts.  "If he dies..."

"Calm down, Bobby," Claire interrupted stepping between the two of them.

A quiet groan came out of Darien as he turned his head gingerly away from the glaring light above him. Claire was right there when he opened his eyes.

"Hold still, Darien.  You need a shot."  She gently grasped his arm, letting the needle slide into his vein.  He didn't budge as the counteragent went to work in his system. The sirens from the ambulance wailed as they pulled up outside of the agency.

"I'll go with him," Hobbes told the group as the paramedics loaded Darien onto the stretcher. 

"No, Hobbes.  I'll go.  I'll need to speak with the doctors," Claire told him as she walked out the door with the paramedics.  "Stay here with Eberts."  This she said with a glare at the man who had shot the patient.

"Great, just what I need," Hobbes grumbled mostly to himself.

Eberts was also less than happy with the situation.

"You could have killed him you know," Hobbes started.

"I did what I had to do, Robert.  If he had killed the Keeper than we would not have been able to help him."

"I'd still like to see that gun taken away from you,"            Hobbes glared angrily across the lab.  

"That grudge of yours is childish and sad, Robert.  Of all people, you should know...it was an accident."  Eberts turned and paced along with Hobbes.

"You did not shoot him on accident!  You aimed and fired your gun at him without knowing where you were going to hit him.  You could have killed the Keeper too.  Did you even think about that?" Hobbes continued to rant.

"Contrary to what you think, I happen to be an excellent shot.  If I wasn't I probably *WOULD* have hit her.  And as for Darien, I was pretty sure I was not going to make a head shot," Eberts countered his nostrils starting to flare again.

"Were you so sure when you shot me?" Hobbes asked, a glint in his eye. The two men stared at each other across the chair bolted to the floor in the middle of the room.

"As a matter of fact," Eberts continued, "it was quite the opposite with you, Robert."  

An eerie silence hung for a brief moment as the rivals pondered Ebert's last thought.  It proved to be the quiet before the storm.

"You bastard!" Hobbes snarled.

"No, my parents were married," Eberts said in a cold tone.

Hobbes smirked at Eberts' last comment.  "I don't have time for you right now." and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Eberts asked stepping in front of him.

"Where do you think? Now get outta my way." and Hobbed pushed past Eberts shoving him unto the floor as the door closed behind him.

The hospital was only a fifteen minute drive from the agency. Hobbes barged into the ER doors and stormed down the hallway looking for the keeper.  He found her speaking with a doctor outside the ICU.

"Keep," he started, pulling her away rudely from her conversation. "How is he?"

"Bobby...we don't know yet...it's too soon.  Give me a minute."

"Where is he?"

"Bobby..."

"Where is he??" he demanded loudly.

"The doctors took him into surgery.  The bullet did some damage to his spleen and liver.  That's all I know right now.  Now, please just sit down in the waiting room.  I'll be out shortly," Claire turned back to the doctor she was talking to.

Hobbes walked back into the waiting room and got a cup of coffee out of the machine.  He slumped down into one of the chairs, the events of the day weighing heavily one him.  He could just strangle Eberts for shooting Darien. He looked up as Claire sat down next to him.

"He's going to be fine, Bobby," she said soothingly as she placed her hand on his knee.  He continued to stare at the white tiled floor.  "Look...Bobby," she began, "Darien is a strong man.  He's going to pull through."

"Yeah, I know," he said.  "It ain't that.  It's Eberts, you know?  He just doesn't get it."

"Well, you were prepared to shoot Darien too," Claire reminded him.  

"I know, but..." Hobbes started, loosing his train of thought. "It's just...I've been there.  If you can't trust the people you work with, what's the point?"

"Darien trusts you with his life, Bobby.  Don't doubt that for a minute."

"I don't, Keep.  But that took a while.  That didn't just happen overnight.  And here he was just getting to buy into Ebert's innocent act and he goes and gets shot!"

"I'm sure Eberts will explain..." Claire started but was immediately cut off by an exploding Hobbes.

"Just like he explained to me?!  He shot me square in the chest my first day working with him! And all he had to say was 'Sorry...bad aim.'  I'm gonna kill that son of a..."

"Doctor, Agent Hobbes?" came the voice of Darien's doctor as he emerged from the patient's room.  "I'm glad you're both still here."

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Clarie asked.

"Nothing.  I just wanted to let you know that the surgery went fine.  He's in a recovery room right now, and we'll be moving him into a patient room very soon."

"Can we see him?" Hobbes asked hopefully.

"Not until he's in his room.  I'll have the nurse notify you we he can receive visitors."

"Thank you, doctor," Claire sighed sitting back down.

Twenty minutes later, the nurse came down the hall instructing the two to follow her.  The corridor seemed endless, the lights were blinding, and monitors were beeping everywhere. Shock hit both Claire and Hobbes simultaneously as they walked into Darien's room.  There were countless tubes coming from Darien, a mask covered his face, and a large bandage spotted with blood covered the surgical incision on his chest.

"Jesus," Hobbes remarked as he stopped in the doorway.

Claire continued forward undisturbed.  She walked to Darien's bedside and grasped his hand.  

"We're here, Darien," she whispered as she looked down on him.  "You're O.K."  With that she squeezed, pulling a chair close so she could sit.

"He should be coming around soon.  It takes a bit for the anaesthesia to wear off," The nurse said as she checked Darien's vitals. "I'll be back in a little while to check him again."

Hobbes walked into the room slowly and then tried to sink into the other chair.  He missed the chair and landed on the floor with a thump.

"Bobby are you..." Clarie started.

"I'm fine," Hobbes replied slightly embarrassed.

Claire could tell Hobbes was still a bit shaky.  Then she remembered that he did still have a dose of counteragent in his bloodstream.

He settled himself into the chair and rubbed his hands over the bald part of his head.  He was tired still, it was something he always did when he was worn out or frustrated.  In this case he was sure to be both.

"Darien?" Claire jumped.  "He squeezed my hand, Bobby.  Go get the nurse."  She placed her hand over his forehead...such a motherly gesture, she realized.

Hobbes bolted out the door yelling "Nurse!  Hey nurse!" as Claire began coaxing Darien's eyes to open.

"Darien, open your eyes if you can.  Can you do that?"

Darien groaned and tried to roll over.  His eyes snapped open when he realized he wasn't able to move very well without causing himself pain.

"It's all right, Darien.  You're in the hospital.  Do you remember what happened?" Claire asked trying to calm him down.

Darien weakly shook his head, his face conveying the most sincere form of lost knowledge.  Trying to speak, he brought his arm to his mouth, attempting to remove the oxygen mask, and tube in his throat, that prevented any sound.

"Wait, I'll help," Claire said as she gently removed the mask from his face, and pulled the tube out since she WAS his doctor.  She stroked his hair as he began to speak.

"What...happened?"  He tried to swallow and found his mouth was too dry to even wet his tongue.

"You were shot."  She wanted to keep the answers simple. Claire had no idea how much he would even remember, having just woken up.

As Darien was about to speak again, Hobbes bounded in the door followed by six nurses.  "I got a nurse," he said to Claire as he pointed quickly at his procession.

The nurses each gave Claire a semi‑annoyed nod as they circled the bed, checking monitors and reading stats.

"Hey, buddy," Hobbes directed to his wounded partner as he rounded the bed.  

Darien's eyes got wide and a look of hostility flushed over his face.  

"What?  He still a bit...you know?" Hobbes directed at Claire as he spun a finger around his ear.

"Not at all, Hobbes.  Darien, what is it?"  She tried to coax his gaze back onto her but he wouldn't move.

"He....he....the gun..." he finally got out as his arm came up pointed at his partner.  

"Easy, Darien," Claire started not wanting Darien to start thrashing around.  He could open his stitches easily if he moved too much.

One of the nurses turned to Hobbes.  "I'm sorry sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.  You seen to be upsetting the patient."

"Now just a minute..." Hobbes started.

"Please, sir.  If you don't leave I'll have to call security." The nurse replied in an icy tone.

"I'll be back later," Hobbes told his friend as he backed out of the room, concern obvious on his face as he shot Claire a look across the room.  One of the nurses swung the curtain surrounding the bed shut and continued her stat reading.

"Darien, you need to calm down.  Please," she begged as she firmly placed her hands on his shoulders, holding him down.  Normally, she was sure he could have knocked her right off.  But he was so weak, she succeeded immediately.

"Hobbes..." he began, squinting his eyes and groaning as a nurse flooded his eye with light, checking his vision.

"Yes, Darien..." she replied.  Glancing towards the door and through the crack in the curtain, she checked to make sure no one was in earshot who needn't be.  "Darien...I'll tell you but you need to remain calm."

He nodded slowly as he looked helplessly to her. "You were shot point blank in the chest, Darien.  It was pretty bad.  You lost a lot of blood.  And Darien...your memory is correct.  It was Hobbes that shot you."

Hobbes paced up and down the hallway.  He was a little freaked that Darien thought it was him that shot him.  He knew the Keeper would straighten everything out.  He looked up as she left Darien's room.  "How is he?  Did you tell him..."

"Yes, but he needs his sleep.  You can come back in the morning.  I'm surprised it took so long for the staff to shoo me out the door.  Since neither of us are family."  Claire put a comforting hand on his arm.

"Keep, you all right?" Hobbes asked noting a strange look on Claire's face.

"I'm fine...just really tired.  I'm going home to rest." Claire said.  She walked down the hall wearily.

Hobbes went out to his van and got ready to leave.  He saw Claire get into her van, but he noticed she turned left out of the parking lot.  'She lives on the East side not the west,' Hobbes thought and then changed his mind.  'What are you so paranoid for?'  he shook his head.  'She's probably going to get something to eat before she goes home.  Come to think of it...I'm a little hungry myself,' he turned on his van and turned right out of the lot heading for an all night Taco Bell.

A figured smiled as he watched the pair leave the hospital. "My plan is working perfectly," he laughed.  The strange car with tinted windows followed in the direction of the Keeper's van.

Pulling out of the lot, Hobbes slowed to a stop and looked a ways down the road following Claire's van.  He noticed immediately a car following closely behind hers.  Without thinking twice, the seasoned agent pulled his vehicle to the left and followed the car at

a safe distance.  

Claire's house was a twenty minute drive. And not once along the way did the car in front of him detour from Claire's tail.  Hobbes knew his instinct was leading him in the right direction.  He pulled the van off on a side road, leaving him a well enough vantage point of Claire as she parked her van and opened her door.  

Seconds later, the unfamiliar car following her slowed to a halt behind her.  It took Hobbes only moments to recognize the driver.  He had one hand on his gun, the other on the door handle, as he watched the driver exit his car. 

Hobbes saw Claire turn to face the man and watched in horror as her face lit up as she flashed a smile at him.

"I knew you were somewhere close," she said as she opened her arms.  "Missed me already, Arnaud?  I just saw you this morning."

He swept her up into an embrace and joined lips as Hobbes watched from across the street.  He blinked back the surprise, tightening the hold on his gun, but unable to move.

"We'd better go inside, love," Arnaud purred.  "We don't want to attract any unwanted attention," he looked in the direction Hobbes was standing and gave an evil smile. 'This is for interrupting me and Fawkes the last time we met in his Uncle's cabin,'  He thought maliciously.  Arnaud didn't waste any time ushering Claire into her home.

Hobbes stood and stared.  He had caught what Arnaud had said, but he still couldn't figure out why the Keeper was with HIM.  'How could she do this to Darien?  How could she stand to be around that bastard at all?'  Hobbes was very unsure what to do.  

He let his instincts take control as he slammed the van into drive and spun down the street.  He could find Arnaud again if he needed to.  And right now...his only concern was getting to Darien and making sure he was O.K.  

Spinning into the hospital parking lot, Hobbes narrowly missed a few pillars as he jammed the van into a compact parking spot.  He sprinted upstairs to the CCU unit of the hospital, bumping into countless stretchers, knocking into a number of nurses. He shot around the corner of Darien's room, flying to the curtain that separated the room.  

He flung it open with a swipe of his arm, immediately going for his gun and pulling it on the man who stood poised over his partner, needle in hand.

"Step away, Eberts!  NOW!!"

Eberts looked at Hobbes and smiled.  A very odd look on his normally stoic face.  

"I mean it, EBERTS!  STEP AWAY!!!" Hobbes shouted, his voice rousing Darien out of a restless sleep.

Darien slammed the nurse call button terrified to see Hobbes holding a gun on Eberts.  Darien feared Hobbes had finally lost it.  First he shot him and now he was ready to kill Eberts as well.

The nurse ran into the room and saw Hobbes holding a gun.  She turned and went back out the door and buzzed for security.  "I have an insane man trying to kill a patient and his visitor!"  She shouted into the intercom.

Hobbes paid no attention.  He held his gun steadily on Eberts who hadn't budged.  Darien lay there, a panicked look on his face.  

"Put it down Robert!  You WILL be sorry."  Eberts raised an eyebrow at Hobbes as the agent looked from Darien to Eberts.  

"What is that?"  Hobbes motioned with his head at the syringe Eberts held.  "And whatever the hell it is, PUT IT DOWN!"

"Gladly," Eberts answered as he smiled a broad grin at the armed man.  

Hobbes felt the blow from behind as it rocketed through his head.  He hit the ground with a solid thud, his gun sliding across the tiled floor.

"Thank you, sir," he heard Ebert's voice say.

Hobbes slipped into unconsciousness.  Eberts picked the syringe back up and injected into Hobbes arm.

"What, was that?" Darien asked.

"Just a sedative.  We knew that Hobbes would come back to your room, so the Keeper asked me to give it to him." Eberts motioned to security. "Please escort him to the psychiatric ward.  He's a government agent, who was under too much strain." Eberts handed the doctor who entered the room a card.  "This is his psychiatrist's phone number.  She will verify this information and inform you of the medications he's already taking."

"So, he really did lose it then?" Darien mumbled the memories of the day still very hazy.

"Yes.  The Keeper told me she noticed some irrational behavior in him and everything was confirmed when he shot you." Eberts answered.  "I have to go inform her of these events. Good night, Darien."

The room Hobbes woke up in was eerily familiar to him as he forced his lids open, fighting back the throbbing the beat at the back of his eyes.  He tried to put his hands over his head, to squeeze the ache away, and was stupefied to find his arms tightly drawn behind him; the white jacket firmly strapped around him.

"What the...?" he said to himself as he jumped to his feet, surveying the room.   Pads lined the walls as well as the floor and a large mirror covered an entire side of the room. He rolled his eyes as it struck him....they had him in the padded room at the agency.

'This is nuts!'  he thought to himself.   'What the hell is going on?'  His mind flashed on last night.  The Keeper in league with Arnaud... and Eberts about to dose Fawkes with something in a syringe... 'Oh God! I have to get out of here! Arnaud must surely be planning to kill Darien!'  he thought as he struggled against his restraints.  

"Hey!! Let me out of here!  I'm not crazy!" he shouted at the mirrored wall.

Claire, Eberts and Arnaud watched Hobbes from the other side of the wall.

"Of course you're not, Mister Hobbes," Arnaud chuckled lightly placing his arm around Claire.  "But no one will believe you now. Not after that display at the hospital. And now Fawkes is mine to deal with.  I think I'll keep him around, now that you and the Official are out of the picture, he'll be easy to control."

Eberts left the room and settled himself into the chair in the Official's office. 

Arnaud turned to Claire and kissed her.  Having Darien's Keeper and Mr. Eberts under his control was easier than he thought it would be.  With Hobbes declared insane and the Official placed safely under lock and key in another one of the Agency's labs he would have free reign over everything.

Back at the hospital, Darien sat slowly up in his bed. The room still swam around him, but he'd felt worse.  Needles tugged at him from everywhere, stinging his skin as he pulled them from his arms and chest. He listened and snickered as the monitors surrounding his bed flatlined.  

"Ah crap," he said rolling his eyes as every nurse on the floor ran into his room, crowding around his bed.

"Mr. Fawkes!" the head nurse scolded him.  "Lay down!"

"Don't make us restrain you," another nurse commented.  "You are not well enough to leave yet and if you insist on pulling the I.V. lines out we will have to strap you down."

Darien laid back and sighed. He didn't like being treated like an invalid. He also wondered why Claire or Eberts or even the Official hadn't been in to see him yet today.  He was worried about Hobbes and every time he asked one of the hospital staff they dodged his questions.  He just wished his memory of yesterday's events were better.  

He was starting to remember some things, but they just didn't make any sense after what Claire and Eberts had told him.

He remembered vaguely seeing Hobbes's gun, remembered being shot, but the image of Hobbes pulling the trigger just wouldn't reveal itself.

"Hey! Watch those hands!" Darien laughed as a nurse attempted to reattach an I.V. 

"Sorry, Mr. Fawkes. I wasn't trying to be fresh," she replied smiling sweetly at her patient.

"Hey, that's O.K.," he answered as he laid back down. "So, how you doin' today?"  he flashed a brilliant smile at the nurse that made her blush as she hurried from the room.

Darien settled back down into the bed and flicked on the T.V. set.  After surveying the limited amount of channels, and the lack of anything decent to watch, he turned the T.V back off.  He hoped the doctors would be able to help Hobbes regain his sanity.  He missed having his partner to talk too.

The nurse came back in and gave Darien his next dose of demerol into his I.V. line and rushed back out before he could even say hello.

Darien's eyes closed as the effects of the pain medication kicked in.  About 3 hours later Darien woke with a start.  He'd just had the weirdest dream.

Black and white swam through his mind as he tossed in bed.  Everything seemed fuzzy yet so clear at the same time.  He could see the agency doors from his viewpoint on the sidewalk.  He was suddenly very aware of a sweet aroma...looking to his side he saw Claire's panicked face and his hand around her neck.  

Pain racked his face as he turned in bed. Hobbes' voice shot at him from somewhere and he spun to see his partner aiming a gun at him.  He was saying something but couldn't make it out...    

"Hobbes..." Darien muttered in his sleep. His head began throbbing as he turned his head to look back at the agency and was greeted by the vision of Eberts, gun loaded and locked on his chest.  

He heard a loud BANG and saw a trace of smoke as his head whipped back towards Hobbes who was screaming at Eberts. The noise startled Darien into reality.  

Bolting upright in bed, Darien jumped from the bed, ripping out every needle and probe attached to him.  Wincing in pain, he threw the tubes to the floor as the monitors once again flatlined.  In his hospital pants, he ran bare chested and barefoot down the cold corridor.  The nurses yelled to him as he smacked the exit button on the CCU door and fled from the building.

His mind was racing as he ran outside.  'What was going on? Why did Claire and Eberts want him to think Hobbes had shot him?  And then thinking Hobbes was crazy... He stopped for a moment.  Oh Jesus, Hobbes!'   

Hobbes had been trying to protect him from Eberts the whole time.  But what was going on with Claire?  And why did Eberts shoot him?  Darien ducked behind a dumpster when he saw Eberts pull up in an Agency car.  He quicksilvered himself and waited for Eberts to go inside before getting into the car.  He hot wired the car and sped off in the direction of the Agency.  He wanted answers NOW!

He threw the car into park across the street from the agency building and sat there trying to collect his thoughts. His chest ached where a small trickle of blood was beginning to ooze out from under his soaked bandage.  Placing his hand over the gauze, he turned to look in the back seat.  

He found an extra coat from Eberts but threw it back down.

"Freakin' midget.." he cursed as his anger bubbled over. He gingerly got out of the car and padded his way across the street, wincing as the asphalt cut into his bare feet.  

Standing outside the glass doors, which had been miraculous repaired, Darien took a deep breath.  He had no idea what to expect.  Glancing around, Darien let the quicksilver envelop him as he pushed open the doors.

The Agency was oddly quiet.  The Official's office and the lab were empty.  Memories started to flood back to him.  The weird silence reminded him of the day before.  He was going into madness and no one had been around except for Hobbes.  

He had an insightful thought and ran down to the observation room for the padded room. The door was open and he peered inside.  The room was empty.  He looked into the double glass and saw Hobbes fighting to get the straightjacket off.

"Aw, crap!" he swore as he ran to open the door for the padded room.   

The door felt like it weighed a ton and a half as the Darien fought to pull it open.  Hobbes's head turned to face the entrance and whoever may be coming in on him.  

"Fawkes!" he yelled with a smile on his face.  But the glee in his voice faded immediately as he saw the blood pouring from this partner's wound.   

Darien looked up at Hobbes as his friend ran towards him.  "Turn around," Darien hissed through gritted teeth as he leaned against the door frame.

Hobbes spun around keeping his head turned towards Darien.  The straps for the jacket were quickly unbuckled.  Hobbes flailed his arms madly, pulling free of the restraints.

"Come on, Fawkes," he started, grabbing his partner and holding him up, "we gotta get you some help."

"Wait.  I want to know what is going on! Has everyone in this Agency besides you and me gone completely insane?  Claire and Eberts had me convinced that you'd lost it." Darien groaned as he leaned on Hobbes for support.

Hobbes turned to his partner and spoke one word. "Arnaud."

Darien stared at Bobby for a minute. "I should have known!"           

Hobbes walked Darien slowly out to the van and strapped him in.  "Hang in there, buddy," he said as he hurried to the drivers side.  He got in and went to put his keys in the ignition.  "Um..." he said as he started fumbling at his pockets.  

Darien looked over at his disheveled partner and gingerly leaned over the seat.  He carefully reached down under the dashboard with his left hand, his right palm holding onto the ache that filled his chest.  Grimacing, Darien fumbled below the dash for a split second, eyes shut, before the van roared to life.  

"Thanks, buddy," Hobbes said as he helped his partner right himself back into his seat.

Darien closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat. The pain was making his head feel swimmy again.

"Darien!  Come on big guy. Hang on," Hobbes coached while he broke speed records barreling down the street.  "Aw crap!" he fumed as the sound of a police car blaring behind him.

He wasn't about to stop.  Hobbes slammed on the gas pedal, watching the speedometer jiggle as the van lunged down the street.  "Don't you do it!" he yelled at the vehicle as he screeched around the corner on the way to the hospital. He slammed to a stop at the emergency room entrance, jumping from the van.  Running to the passenger side, he screamed at the attendants who rushed out of the double doors, "Get me Dr. Casey O'Claire!  Now!!"

Hobbes helped the ER attendants get Darien onto a stretcher as they wheeled him into the ER. 

Darien blacked out before they even had him settled.

Hobbes was glad that Dr. O'Claire did not work at the same hospital that Darien was at yesterday.  He wasn't about to trust anyone else except for her with Darien's life right now.

The cop that had been following Hobbes stepped up behind him. He hadn't seen them take Darien into the hospital.  "Hands up, sir.  You're under arrest."

Hobbes turned to face the man. "We're federal agents.  I was speeding in here trying to save my partner's life, so back off!"

Hobbes produced his badge and gave his patented 'I told you so' look to the officer as he made his way back to the squad car.  He rushed into the hospital to check on Darien. After being reassured that Darien was out of harm's way, Hobbes flew to his van and sped over to case out Claire's house.  There were no cars out front and all the windows were closed up tight.  He made his way to the front door and smashed it open.

Pavlov barked as he entered Claire's house.  Hobbes stopped and shooed Pavlov out of his way.  Everything in Claire's house seemed to be in order as he made his way to the stairs.  He climbed the stairs wishing he'd been able to retrieve his gun before leaving the Agency.  He'd have to rely on his martial arts skills if any trouble showed up.

He walked into Claire's bedroom and noticed a syringe in the wastebasket.  He closed the ties on the plastic bag in the basket and took the contents with him.  Maybe this had something to do with Claire's recent behavior.  He walked back down to the van and went back to the hospital to talk to Dr. O'Claire.

He asked to the whereabouts of Casey and was pointed down the corridor.  He found her outside of her office on the phone. He motioned for her to hang up.  She only shushed him

and told him to wait.  

Annoyed, he turned away and began pacing, waiting for her to end her call.  He found the nearest group of chairs and sat down, bag in hand.  He swung it back and forth, finally grasping the handles and yanking it open.  Glancing into the bag, he studied the syringe.  The vile didn't seem to have anything left in it, but he knew from previous training that didn't necessarily mean that it was empty.  

Casey made her way down the hallway and stopped abruptly in front of Hobbes.   "What happened to him?" she said shortly.

"It's a really long story, Doc.  I need you to check on something for me."  Hobbes said handing her the bag.  "Can you determine what substance was in the syringe?"

"I can, but I want to know what happened first," Casey said eyes fixed on Hobbes' face.

Hobbes sighed and rubbed his hands together.  He didn't want to get her too involved, but he had to tell her something he owed her at least that much.

"Looks like we trusted some people we shouldn't have," he said calmly hoping she wouldn't ask for too much more.  "Our buddy Darien there paid the price."

She just stood and stared at him.  She wanted to scream at him, to make him tell her everything.  Instead, she decided against it, rudely grabbing the bag from Hobbes' hands.  "Follow me," she said as she walked away. 

She took him to a small, dimly lit room in the back of the hospital where sat a small man in glasses behind a large microscope. Casey handed him the bag and whispered something to him out of Hobbes' earshot.

The man took the syringe from the bag and held it up to his small desk lamp.  "Yeah, I can work with this," he directed to Casey.

"Ok, while you two take care of things here, I've got to run.  Take care of him, doc," Hobbes nodded to Casey as he left.

"I will, be careful yourself," she called before he was out of earshot. Casey shook her head. What was she getting herself into?

Hobbes walked out to the van and stopped when he noticed Eberts and Claire pulling into a parking space. He backtracked into the hospital before they saw him. He raced back down the hall and spotted Casey.  "We have a problem..."

He grabbed Casey and hauled her down the hallway to Darien's room and locked the door, peering through the window.  Claire and Eberts neared the door, stopping to speak to a nurse who pointed them directly towards Darien's room.  

"Dammit," Hobbes muttered as he spun to face Darien.  His partner lay unconscious in bed, oblivious to their situation.

"What can I do?" Casey asked concerned as she looked over toward Darien.  She never forgave him for what he had done, but she wasn't going to put a patient at risk at any cost.

"Lock the door after me," Hobbes said.  "I'm gonna try to get them to follow me." Hobbes slid out the door and Casey locked it after him. 

She was very afraid about what was happening.  She still did have some feelings for Darien and she really did not want him to die in front of her. She picked up the phone in the room to call security.

Hobbes coughed loudly as he exited the door to Darien's room and headed down the hallway.  Claire saw him first, pointing Eberts in his direction.  The lackey closed in on his tail immediately. Ducking around a corner, Hobbes peeked around the wall to see his tracker come up on him.  

It took him only a second to reach out and put Eberts in a choke hold while grabbing his weapon.  Holding the gun to Eberts' head, Hobbes shoved him against the wall.

"Spill it, Eberts!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the nurses on call.

Eberts remained silent and still.  Hobbes pulled him from the wall and shoved him in the direction of Darien's room.  From down the corridor, he could see Claire trying her best to get one of the nurses to unlock Darien's door.  The nurse's expression showed complete bewilderment.  And she was reaching for her key!

"Keep!  Hey Keep!" he yelled as he pushed Eberts ahead.  "Don't do it!"

Claire's face went solemn as she saw the weapon pressed against her partner's head.  She turned away annoyed.

"Talk! Eberts!" Hobbes snarled.  Security came down the hall and were floored by the sight they came upon.

Claire backed down the hall trying to sneak away.  A guard came up behind her and pushed her against the wall.

Another guard knocked on the door the Darien's room. "Dr. O'Claire.  This is security.  We have the suspects in custody."

Casey opened the door carefully, making sure that security had things under control.  

Hobbes tossed Eberts at one of the security guards and watched as both his coworkers were put into handcuffs. 

"We'll take them into custody, Agent Hobbes," the guard told him as he lead the two away.  

Hobbes walked over to Casey who was intent on watching Darien as he slept.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he said.  "I've still got a battle ahead of me.  And I'm not sure I can wait for Darien here to get better."

"Please take care of yourself," Casey pleaded.  "I would rather not have both of you in here at the same time."

"Thanks. I will. There are some things I need to check out.  Do you have a pen and a small piece of paper?"

"Sure," and Casey handed Hobbes what he requested.

Hobbes jotted down his cell phone number and handed it back to her.  "Could you please call me when they have the results on the contents of that vile?  Or if Darien gets any worse.  I'll try to be back here as soon as possible"

Casey nodded.

Hobbes went back to his van and returned to the Agency.  He wanted to find the lab where Arnaud had stashed the Official.  He was concerned about what sort of condition the Official would be in.  He'd actually started to like the old fat bastard.

He walked the corridors silently, listening for any sound.  He peered into empty rooms, searched empty closets...but found nothing.  Making his way back to the lab, Hobbes kept his cool.  He would solve this if it was the last thing he did...and it almost was. The shot rang out, ricocheting off the metal frame of the lab door as it slid open. Ducking behind the wall, he yelled out over the reverberating sound, "Put it down, Arnaud!"

"Come on in Agent Hobbes, we've been expecting you."

Hobbes ducked his head in before letting off a shot of his own from Eberts gun.

Arnaud had ducked under a table expecting the shot from Hobbes.

Hobbes walked into the room slowly.  "Come on out, Arnaud.  This game ends now!"

"I think not," Arnaud said with an amused tone in his voice. "You see, I'm not alone in here."

Hobbes froze as Arnaud produced from his end of the room, a bruised and battered Official.  Gun pointed at his head, he staggered into the center of the lab as Arnaud coaxed him closer to Hobbes.  

"Make the call, Agent Hobbes..." he smiled as he neared the door.  

"Let him go and I won't kill you," Hobbes answered cocking his weapon.

"Try to shoot around him.  I'd like to see that."  With that, Arnaud flung the Official toward Hobbes knocking him off balance, toppling both he and the agent.  

Arnaud spun around taking the opportunity to run to Claire's desk, scooping a pair of disks into his palm as he ran from the lab.  

"I'm all right, Hobbes," the Official gasped.  "Go after him."

"Right, sir," Hobbes nodded and then chased after Arnaud.  He was not about to let that bastard get away again.  He got outside just as Arnaud started his car.  He took aim and fired at the car's left rear tire taking it out in one shot.

Arnaud sped away on his limping car, rubber flying from the busted tire.  Hobbes stopped running, catching his breath.  He stood for a moment before turning to make his way back to the agency.

The Official and Hobbes made their way to the hospital, and pulling into the emergency exit once again, Hobbes helped his boss from the van.  

They went inside, immediately finding Casey, and set to the task of making sure the Official was alright. Hobbes made his way to Darien's room and took a seat by his bed.  His partner was sound asleep, monitors beeping a reassuring rhythm.

"What are we gonna do, buddy?" he whispered as he rested his head in his hands.  He was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.  "I let him get away...I'm so sorry.  I let him get away...." he trailed off as his head bobbed, finally finding a resting place on the back of the chair.

Casey walked to Darien's room.  She wanted to check on him again and give Hobbes the results the lab had come up with from the sample in the vial. When she entered the room she saw Darien resting peacefully.  

But Hobbes had slumped over from the chair he was in and onto the floor.  She immediately ran to check his pulse and it was very erratic.

She slammed the intercom and announced a 'Code Blue'.

To be continued......

((Ok guys I know I didn't do an extreme amount of rewrite in this part but I need to know if you like this at all and if I should keep re‑writing the fic‑‑))


	2. Arnaud plays his hand

((As I stated before, this is a rewrite... finally got around to reworking this fic... ENJOY the angst!!!))

Nothing is What it Seems

Fanfic by: NekoSama (aka Chris) and Doretta (aka Desiree)

Email: nekosama@ix.netcom.com and dstreeter78@yahoo.com

Status:Part 2

Catagory:Angst

Spoilers: none

Season: after Beholder

Rating:PG for Violence

Summary:A bad day turns worse, and keeps going sour.

Standard disclaimer: The Invisible Man and all the characters are not ours and are used without permission. We are not getting paid for this.

It was so quiet.  There was a beeping coming from somewhere, but as he tried to open his eyes, a piercing pain smashed through his head.  Hobbes raised his hands and rubbed his face trying to wake himself.   

Forcing his lids open, he slowly took his surroundings.  He immediately located the source of the beeping and watched as his heartbeat rose and fell on the monitor.   

Swinging his eyes to the foot of the bed, he saw nothing but an old television set and a chart that hung from his footboard.  Turning his head even further, Hobbes took in the left side of the room. 

The door was closed and the window shade was pulled down.  It was so dark. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a shape.  Someone was in the room with him, sitting in the chair that skirted his bed.   

Everything in his mind went on full alert, ready to fight this person if he had to. Bobby had no idea what had happened, in his confusion. The last thing he remembered was sitting in Darien's room, keeping a eye on his partner.

He cocked his head, raising it so he could see straight.  It was clear now who it was...Darien had fallen asleep in that hospital chair, his head kinked to one side as he had tried to get comfortable in the pint sized piece of furniture. 

He was covered in a light blanket that had obviously been placed there after he had fallen asleep.  His arms were tucked securely under the cover.  He seemed content.  It broke Hobbes' heart to wake him, but he also knew he needed to clue his partner in as to what went down.  And the sooner the better.

"Pssst...Fawkes," he said quietly as to not startle his wounded friend.

Darien opened his eyes after a moment. "Hobbes?"

"Yeah, buddy," Hobbes replied. He thought for a moment and then realized that Darien was not wearing a hospital gown.  He was wearing his normal clothes.  Last time he'd seen Darien he was hurt pretty badly. What had happened to him?

"How ya feeling'?" Darien asked not quite awake yet.

"I feel great," he answered with a grin.  "You're looking better."

"I feel better.  And we're gonna get you out of here too."  Darien got up and walked over to Hobbes' bed very slowly.  He pushed the button to call the nurse and sat himself on the edge of the bed.

"Still don't got your feet, huh?" his partner asked as Darien yawned and slouched over.  A shake of the head was all he could muster as a response.

The door opened quickly and as Casey walked into the room, all smiles.  "Good evening, Mr. Hobbes..so glad to see..." she stopped as she saw Darien sitting there beside him.

Darien cringed as he looked down at his partner.  "Crap," he mouthed as he turned his head and smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Casey."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she angrily asked as she hurried worried over to the two wounded agents.  "Why are you up?  And dressed?!"  She gaped as the men just stared not answering.

"You are NOT ready to leave yet, Darien!" Casey fumed.  "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"But Case, I can't just sit here while Arnaud is out there," Darien responded putting on his 'hurt puppy' look.

Casey had always melted before when he used that gaze, and she was pissed that he was trying it now. She was positive he didn't know how bad off he really was!

"Did you ever think that maybe he wants you come after him, especially while you're still injured?  And YOU," she said turning to Hobbes, "I told you to take care of yourself.  I did not expect to find you lying on the floor in cardiac arrest. You died for short period of time!" she shouted trying to prove her point.

"Case, come on..." Darien started pulling himself up off the bed and making his way over to her.  "We kinda got some stuff to take care of,"  He did his best to plead to her with his eyes and it seemed to be working as she looked up at him sorrowfully.

"I just don't want you to get worse, Darien."  She looked away, down to Hobbes, trying to take her eyes off of Darien.  His eyes always got to her.

Hobbes looked up at Dr. O'Claire.  "Were you able to analyze the sample in that vial I gave you?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"We were.  It seems to be a form of sodium pentothal, possibly used for memory alteration," Casey answered, annoyed that they were avoiding the problem at hand.

"Memory alteration...wait a minute..I mean...they were trying to erase my memory?"  Darien looked painfully down at Casey.

"Seems to be," she answered.  "But it doesn't seem to have quite the effect they expected.  Darien..." she started placing her hand on his arm, "please..let's go back to your room.  You need to be in bed."

"No, Case, I gotta take care of this," he tried to convince her. "Especially since Eberts and Claire were taken from custody, probably by Arnaud."

An awkward silence fell as they stood there staring each other down, neither one wanting to give in first. 

Bobby feared thinking about Claire in Arnaud's hands, since he'd seen then together. He still had deep feelings for her and didn't want Arnaud hurting her, or worse.

"Well, I think that DOES explain what happened to the Keeper," Hobbes interjected trying to ease the tension.

"And Eberts, too," Darien reminded him.

"Hmrph.  I don't think it took much to work on Eberts," Hobbes grumbled the animosity clear in his voice.       

"Hobbes, you've always had a gripe with him...maybe THIS time he wasn't thinking straight. So, can we get him out of here Case?" Darien motioned with his head at his partner as he continued his stare down with the doctor.  

With a heavy sigh, she looked down at the floor.  "Fine...but I want him under supervision," she said. "And you need to sign out as leaving A.M.A," she huffed.

"Yeah, no problem," Darien answered. 

"I meant you," she quickly interjected as she raised her gaze and met his firmly.  

"You," she said poking her finger into his shoulder, "need medical attention. And if you're going to leave here, I need to know you're going to be looked after."

"I got his back, doc," Hobbes said as he started to sit up in bed.

"Not good enough." With that she took a step closer to Darien and tried to make herself taller to meet his eyes.  "I want you to check in with me every hour on the hour, you understand?"

"Case..."

"No," she said immediately, "this is not up for debate."

All he could do was divert his eyes as he looked down at the floor and nodded his head in surrender.

"Good," she said as she walked over to Hobbes to check his vitals one last time.

"I shouldn't be letting either of you leave, but since you are so intent on doing this," she said writing something on Hobbes' chart.  She whipped a small pad out of her pocket and scribbled something quickly.  

"And here," she started, giving the prescription to Hobbes. "This is for nitro‑glycerin pills. If you start having any chest pain what so ever take one of these and make it back here pronto."

"Thanks, doc," Hobbes said folding up the piece of paper.

"Now I mean it, any problems with either of you, and you come back here."

"We WILL. So are we done now?" Darien asked.

"For now," she said annoyed walking from the room. "Every hour on the hour!" she yelled as she closed the door behind her."

"I'm seeing how you two got along so well," Hobbes smirked as he got up.  Shuffling across the tile floor, he made his way to the closet and rummaged for his clothes.  "You two..you two.." he said laughing, "are the two most stubborn people I know."

"Tell me about it," Darien said eyes still on the door.  "Hurry up, Hobbes.  I'll meet you outside."

"Hey! I'm supposed to be supervising you!" he yelled as his partner flew from the room.  With a shake of his head, Hobbes continued dressing.

Darien went out to the van and sat down.  His side still ached some, but he tried not to think of that.  They had already lost 2 days while Hobbes was recovering.  

Arnaud could literally be anywhere.  He still wondered how Arnaud had been able to get Claire, Eberts and the Official.

Hobbes made it out to the van after 15 minutes.  "I have never had to sign so many forms before in my life and grabbed that prescription from the pharmacy in there," he sighed putting the new bottle in his pocket. "So, where to now, buddy?"

"My place," he answered shortly.  "I gotta get something."

Hobbes pulled the van out of the parking lot and headed east.  The drive was a quiet one.  Neither of them knew what to say about the events that had unraveled around them. 

They pulled up outside of Darien's building and sat there for a moment.  Darien's head rested against the back of the seat as he contemplated.  

"I'm coming up with you," Hobbes said reading his mind.  His partner just glared at him as he unbuckled his belt.  

Both men stepped gingerly from the van as they watched each other.  A smile passed over both their faces as they inwardly laughed at their misfortune.

They walked up to Darien's apartment cautiously.  The door was slightly ajar.  Hobbes pulled his gun out and stepped in front of Darien.  He moved slowly taking everything in stride.  He pushed the door open with his foot and edged inside.  He quickly checked the bathroom and bedroom and found no intruders.

"Hobbes, come here!" Darien shouted.  Darien was pointing to a note tacked onto his refrigerator.  

The note read: 

Hello, Fawkes.  

Sorry to have missed you.  If you would like your co‑workers to be restored to normal I would like something in return.  Give me the encryption codes for the disks I have and I will give you the substance you need to de‑program your co‑workers.  I will be awaiting your reply.  

Au Revoir, Arnaud

Arnaud had jotted down a location and a time.  He had it set for 2 days from now.

"We can't give that bastard what he wants," Hobbes snarled.

"I know that, but we have to at least make him think we are.  I'm gonna need a shot of counteragent the day after that, and the only ones who know the formula are Claire....and Arnaud.  Besides, we can't leave her and Eberts," Hobbes frowned at the mention of Eberts name, "the way they are.  That's worse than being in the padded room."

Darien eyed his partner and slowly turned his back to him as he quicksilvered.  

"What you doin', Fawkes?" Hobbes asked wearily.  

Darien didn't answer.  Instead he made his way across the room and quietly opened the drawer of his nightstand so as not to alert Hobbes to his whereabouts. Grasping the paper he kept safely tucked under a worn out copy of "Catcher in the Rye", he made his way back to his position in the kitchen and shook the quicksilver to the floor. "Here ya go," he said as he produced the paper and handed it to his partner.

Hobbes stood gaping at the page filled with numbers and symbols...clearly the encryption Arnaud had written about.

"So what's the plan?" Hobbes asked.

Darien was about to answer when his phone rang.  "Hello?" Darien said picking up the phone.

"Well, Fawkes, have you decided?" Arnaud inquired.

"All right.  We'll do it." Darien replied.

"Very wise," he replied wickedly over the line.  "How you feeling Fawkes?"   It took Darien by utter shock, the precision of Arnaud's judgement.  Pain smashed through his head, making him drop the phone and fall to his knees. 

Hobbes ran over to him picking up the receiver. "Where do you want us, you sorry son of a bitch?" he asked angrily into the phone as he laid a reassuring hand on his partner's shoulder. 

"Hello again, Agent Hobbes," Arnaud spoke in a sweet tone.

"Didn't you hear me?  Where do you what to do this?" Hobbes fumed, as Darien started to recover.

"Patience, patience...by the way...do you know that Claire makes the cutest little sounds when she..."

"Stop. Right NOW!" Hobbes growled.  "Let's finish this." Hobbes stated.  He didn't want to know what Arnaud had done to Claire, that just hurt too much.  

Worse than that he didn't want Darien to find out.  He knew they both had feelings for her and the thought of that bastard even touching her turned his stomach.

As Darien sat crouched over on the floor, he heard Hobbes scratch something onto the pad of paper by the phone and hang up noisily.

"Fawkes?  Can you get up?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered rising to his feet.

"I got the location.  Let's do this."

It took them two hours to get to the gate of the mansion that boasted the address Hobbes had taken down.  It was a sprawling villa with stables at the base of it's hill.  The sound of horses echoed up at them as the ascended the drive.

The guards opened the gate and let them pass.  Darien and Bobby walked up to the front door cautiously.  They were shown inside to a large office.

Arnaud walked in and sat down at the desk. "Please, sit down gentlemen," Arnaud smiled motioning to the chairs.  He was going to enjoy tormenting these two.

"Where is it?" he asked smiling meekly at the two men who sat across from him, folding his hands in front of him.

"We have it," Darien said coldly staring at the man who had killed his brother and caused him so much grief with the quicksilver madness.  "Let us see Claire."

Arnaud motioned to the back of the room and instantly the door swung open producing a haggard looking Claire.

She gazed around and walked over to Arnaud as if under a spell.  

"What did you do to her?" Darien asked slamming his fist down onto the desk.

"Temper, temper, Fawkes.  I've held up my end of the bargain.  Now, where are the codes?" Arnaud asked putting his arm around Claire's waist.

She smiled at Arnaud and sat down on his lap.

"Claire, can you hear me?" Darien asked with concern in his voice.  She barely glanced up at the sound of his voice.  "Damn you Arnaud!" he yelled as started to round the desk.

"Fawkes, cool it!"  Hobbes caught him before he could get far.  "We've got the codes right here," he said producing the paper from his pocket.  "Fair trade...give her to me."

"I didn't know you cared so much Agent Hobbes," Arnaud laughed.  "That's so sweet." Arnaud pulled a vial out of the desk.  "The paper for the vial.  And you'll have her back more or less intact."

Hobbes glowered at Arnaud.  He wanted to pound his face in.  He hurt Claire and was trying to bait both of them into attacking.  

Darien let the last comment Arnaud said sink in. He glared at Arnaud as he let the quicksilver over take him.  Before Arnaud could rise from his chair, he was across the desk, hands around his throat.  

Claire fell to the ground as Darien's weight knocked into her.  He grabbed hold of the vile with one hand before Arnaud could drop it, loosening his grip on the man's neck.  Darien tossed the vile across the desk to Hobbes.

Arnaud broke free from Darien's loosened grip and fell back.  He pulled a gun out of his coat and pointed it at Hobbes.  "Claire, come over to me," he commanded and Claire got up shakily and started to walk towards Arnaud.

Darien, still quicksilvered grabbed her and pulled her back.  Claire fought with Darien and pounded against his chest. Darien winced as she hit his incision.  He lost his hold on her and stepped back shedding the quicksilver coating.

Hobbes had his own gun out and pointed it at Arnaud.  "Leave her alone, Arnaud." He said stepping between Claire and Arnaud trying to hold her back.

Claire stopped as Hobbes blocked her path.  Dazed, she turned around to face Darien and an instant look of shock washed over her face.  She held up a hand weakly to touch the drop of blood that came through his shirt.  "Are you ok?" she barely whispered.

Darien, taken aback by hearing her speak, took his eyes off of Arnaud.  "I'm fine, Claire," he answered her trying to get her to look up at him.  He put his hand on the back of her head and tilted her face upward.  

"Shoot him," he forcefully told his armed partner.  "Shoot him now."  So much anger filled Darien's voice that Hobbes did a double take.  

He looked down to Claire quickly to see what had captured Darien's attention.  "What did you do to her?!" he screamed. 

"Hobbes..."  

Hobbes took a step back toward Darien and the Keeper keeping his eye on the gun pointed at him.  Holding her head still, Darien pointed at a small two inch scar at the base of Claire's neck.

Hobbes leveled his gun aiming at Arnaud's head.  "Tell me what you did, or I shoot you," Hobbes snarled.

"Now, you wouldn't want to do that Agent Hobbes.  If you kill me she'll never be able to help Darien again.  And I am the only one who can reverse the process.  So again, give me the codes." Arnaud smiled.

Darien pulled Claire close to him as Hobbes stood off with Arnaud.  A small twinge of pain crept up behind his eye but he warded it off.  There were other things to worry about right now.  

"Here," Hobbes said as he handed Arnaud the piece of paper he still grasped in his hand.  "Give me the vile."

"Gladly," Arnaud answered smugly as he uncocked his gun and lowered it.  Hobbes followed his lead.  Both men took a weary step toward each other, items held out in front of them.  Quickly, they each snatched the item from each other.  

"Now, how do we reverse what you did to her?" Hobbes snapped holding the vial in his hand.

Arnaud gave Hobbes and Darien the instructions of how to reverse the mental conditioning.  "...as for her physical state," Arnaud continued, "well, you have to figure that one out on your own."

Darien held Claire tightly to him as Bobby raised his gun once again.

"You're under arrest," Hobbes started.  "You have the right..."

Arnaud chuckled ominously as he began to walk from the room.  "You have a nice day, Mr. Hobbes," he said as he moved toward the door, motioning his men in to surround the agents.  "I will miss you, Claire, mon amour," he smiled as he eyed her one last time.  He left the room as six men with weapons entered and encircled the trio.

A rage overtook Darien as Arnaud left the room.  He quicksilvered and knocked three of the guards down as he left the room chasing after Arnaud.  He would NOT let him escape again.

Hobbes wounded the other three guards, since they were stunned at Darien's disappearance.  "Just so we're clear, everyone is under arrest!" Hobbes shouted and then called the police on his cell phone. 

Darien's footsteps were loud as they pounded behind Arnaud.  The two men fled down the corridor toward the back room of the house.  Immediately slamming the door behind him, Arnaud spun around to his desk, hearing Darien slam into the barrier and begin pounding on the door.  

"Give it up, Fawkes....it's useless."

The quicksilver madness started to take hold in Darien's brain. Darien didn't try to fight it.  He wanted to get Arnaud so badly he just didn't care right now. He used his full strength fueled by the madness and kicked the door as hard as he could.  He shattered the frame and the door fell in.  Arnaud just stood there staring at the red eyed demon that faced him.

Quickly, Arnaud dodged behind the desk, whipping open a drawer.  He pulled a long syringe out, pulling the cap off with his teeth.  Holding it up in clear view for Darien to see, the blue liquid of the counteragent sloshed back and forth in the vile.

"Screw you," Darien said through clenched teeth.  "I'd rather die than see anything happen to Claire.  And since I've let you get this far..." he whispered edging closer to his nemesis, "I need to make up for lost time."

Arnaud backed into the wall and realized he had no where left to go.  Darien grinned maliciously and pushed the desk out of his way.  Nothing and no one was going to stop him now.  

Arnaud finally realized that the addiction to the counteragent had been overridden by a more primal need, revenge for someone he cared about.  Arnaud set the vial down on the desk and tried to back away to the door.  

Darien was on him in a second.  His hands gripped around Arnaud's throat cutting off his air supply.

"Fawkes!  Stop!  We need to take him alive." Hobbes shouted entering the room gun drawn.

"No..no..no..no.. Hobbes. This ends right now.  All of the pain he caused, he deserves this." Darien hissed not lightening his grip on Arnaud.

Hobbes rushed to the back of the room where Arnaud lay sprawled out on the floor. He grabbed the vile that had been knocked to the floor and checked it for air.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his partners red eyes glaring a warning at him.

"Don't you do it, Hobbes," Darien growled as he clenched harder around Arnaud's throat.

"Sorry, buddy." And with that, Hobbes leapt over a pile of strewn papers and jabbed the needle into the back of Darien's neck.  "Jeez...I hope I did that right," he said to himself as Darien bucked back in pain.

Hobbes lifted Arnaud, who was now unconscious, handcuffed him and gave him to the police who had finally arrived.

Claire walked into the room shakily. "Is... he all right..." she stuttered.

"No he need to go to the hospital," Hobbes said as he rolled Darien over.  "He's starting to bleed again."  Hobbes groaned and pulled a breath in tightly gripping his chest. "I need to go too..." and he collapsed on top of his wounded partner, passing out before he could take the pill Casey had given him.

"Wake up, Darien!" Casey yelled as she hovered over his bead.  "Open your eyes."

Darien cracked his eyes open and watched as the doctor moved away from the bed to check his monitors. 

"You wake all your patients like that Case?" he asked mockingly.

She moved back to his bed and glared down at him.  "You didn't check in."  The stare she gave him quieted any response he may have had ready.  "I can't help you like this, Darien.  You're hopeless."

He knew this.  So he kept quiet about it.  "Where's Hobbes?"

"Being taken care of.  He'll be fine.  He's in better shape than you are."

"You taking care of him?"

"No.  A dear friend of mine is, though.  Her name is Lori.  She's a nurse here and I trust her completely."

"Thanks, Case," he said as he tried to move and get comfortable in the bed.  A burning pain seared through his chest as he tried to roll a little, twisting his features in a pained wince.

"Sit still, Darien," Casey said coldly.  

"Yeah, no problem," he replied laying his head back down.

"You opened up your stitches for the second time," she snapped as she checked his pulse and then pulled out the thermometer to check his temperature.  She stuck it in his mouth to keep him silent for another minute.  

"You also have an infection.  Your body needs time to heal and nothing you say is going to get me to let you leave early this time."  She checked the reading on the thermometer and shook her head.  "You still have a fever."

Darien nodded and tried to relax.  "Where's Claire?" he asked remembering what had happened at Arnaud's house.

"That woman who came in with you?" Casey inquired and Darien nodded again.  "She's in the waiting room.  I don't trust her Darien.  Isn't she one of the people who hurt you?"

"Yes and no.  That wasn't her fault," Darien started trying to sit up and wincing again when he moved.

"Darien, you have to try not to move too much.  I'll send in nurse Lori with some pain meds."

"But, what about Claire?"

Casey sighed. "If you REALLY want to see her, I'll send her in.  But I'm going to check back in on you after 10 minutes," she rolled her eyes and left the room.

Claire opened the door to Darien's room moments later, a glazed over look still lingering on her face.

"You awake?" she spoke softly into the room as she entered.

"Yeah, Claire, I'm awake," Darien answered trying not to startle her.

"How do you feel?"

"Claire, I'll feel a hell of a lot better knowing you're ok.  What the hell happened?  Do you remember anything?"

"Not a lot.  But I'm assuming some of it will come back to me.  Darien...I'm so sorry I got..."

"Claire, don't," he cut her off.  "This obviously wasn't your fault."

"I'm still sorry," she said sadly as she hung her head.

Darien reached out and took her hand gently, holding onto it as she tried to hold back her tears.

Nurse Lori cleared her throat as she entered the room.  "Dr. O'Claire sent me in with some meds for you Mr.Fawkes."

"How's Hobbes?" Darien asked as the nurse injected the demerol into the I.V.

"Mr. Hobbes is doing fine.  They should be releasing him in about 4 days."

"Wow...that's a long time.  You gonna be able to stand him for that long?" he asked her with a smirk on his face.

"We'll see..." she replied as she pushed the rest of the fluid into the tube.  "Nice to see you again, Claire.  Are you doing ok?"

"I'm fine, Lori, thank you."

With that and a quick smile to the Keeper, Lori made her way from the room.

"You know her?"

"Um..yeah...sort of.  We went to medical school together ages ago."

Darien's eyes started to flutter as the pain med kicked in. Clarie put her hand on his shoulder and sat down as he started to doze off.

Casey came back into the room, true to her word, after 10 minutes.  "I'm sorry.  You're going to have to leave now.  He needs his rest and I'm going to make sure she gets it," Casey said harshly pointing to the door.

Claire made her way down the hallway to check on Bobby.  He was sound asleep in his bed as she rounded the corner of his door.  Lori hovered over him checking his pulse.

"Oh hi, Claire."

"Hello Lori.  How is he?"

"He's doing much better," she answered with a smile on her lips.  "He's a strong man."

"Yes...indeed.  Strong headed."  Claire let out a little sigh as she folded herself into a chair. 

"Listen,Lori, how would you feel about leaving the hospital and coming to work with me?"

"Doing what?  I like my job here at the hospital."  Lori asked standing next to Claire.

"I work for a government agency, and I really need some help now," Claire sighed the terror and exhaustion of the last few days showing on her face.

"OK, Claire," Lori started, "you need some rest too.  Here's my phone number.  Give me a call with the details after you've had some sleep.  We can talk then and I'll think it over." Lori smiled helping her friend up and out the door.  

Claire took a few steps down the hall and leaned against the wall tears welling up in her eyes.

****

There was a slight drizzle of rain beginning to cover the sidewalk in front of the agency as Darien pulled his car up to the building.  Stepping out, he paused briefly, placing his hands in his back pockets and glanced down at the cement where he had lain only two weeks earlier.  Silently counting his blessings, he pushed through the glass doors and walked down the hallway.

"Keep?" he called as the door to the lab slid open for him.

"Oh...Darien..."  Lori scrambled up from the desk and walked over to the agent, hand extended.  

"Nurse Lori...what...?"

"Claire hired me.  We'll be working together."

"Ok. When did this happen?" Darien asked looking very confused.

"She talked to me shortly after you were re‑admitted to the hospital."

"Wow. Well, welcome to the madhouse then." Darien smiled shaking her hand.

The door slid open as the two locked hands, revealing a happy and refreshed Bobby Hobbes.  

"Buddy!" he yelled walking over to Darien and grabbing his hand.  "How's the wound, pal?"

"It's just great, Hobbes, thank you for asking."

"And who do we have here?  Nurse Lori?  It's a pleasure.  Keep filled me in on everything.  Glad to have you aboard." 

"Why is it I'm always the last one to know these things?" Darien asked a bit perturbed.  

"Lori!" Claire called from the doorway.  "You got here early."

"Well I wanted to get a look around.  Hope that's ok," she replied a bit worried as the three looked down on her.

"No, it's fine.  Oh...Darien," Claire said sheepishly as she smiled up at him and back to Lori.  "I assume Lori told you she'll be working her now."

"Yeah, she sure did."

"Great.  Then there are a few things left to go over." Claire walked to the back of the lab, pulling off her coat and throwing it over her desk chair.

"So, Lori, Claire here tells me you two went to school together." He tried his hardest to make small talk.  She was going to be his co‑worker but he was still a man and was not blind to the fact that she was beautiful.  

"Yeah...for a while," she smiled up at him as his eyes darted to the floor.  She giggled lightly as she saw the little boy in him come out.

"Let me see your hand, Darien," Claire said as she rejoined the group. 

He extended his arm as he looked back over to Lori and smiled.  "Don't be a dork," he told himself.  "Just be cool..."  

"Here you go," Claire sang as she dropped his present onto the palm of his hand.

The last thing he expected was for it to move! "Ah crap!" he yelled, jumping back five feet, dropping the tarantula onto the floor, and immediately quicksilvering.  "Claire!  Not nice!"

Claire smiled and scooped up the tarantula in her hands.  She put him back in his cage.  She turned back around and her smiled faded.

"Uhhh...Claire..."

Lori had collapsed in a heap on the floor. Hobbes had run to her side and propped her head up.  "Jesus, Keep!"

"You didn't tell her about me, did you?" Darien asked.

"Oooops..."

to be continued....

Any feedback would be appreciated.


	3. Claire's sad story unfolds

((The angst ensues--- Neko))

Nothing is What it Seems

Fanfic by: NekoSama (aka Chris) and Doretta (aka Desiree)

Email: nekosama@ix.netcom.com and dstreeter78@yahoo.com

Status:Part 3

Catagory:Angst

Spoilers: none

Season: after Beholder

Rating:PG  for and violence. There's also some D/C shipping in this fic. 

Summary:Claire begins to remember what happened to her.

Standard disclaimer: The Invisible Man and all the characters are not ours and are used without permission. We are not getting paid for this.

Lori sat listening intently to the explanation Claire was giving her.  She could hardly believe what she was hearing.  It amazed her, yet at the same time scared the hell out of her.  She wasn't sure what to think. Or how she'd gotten herself into this. Sure she and Claire were friends, but this was a lot to ask of someone she hadn't seen in awhile.

"You know..." Darien chimed in as the room fell silent, "Hobbes here can fill you in on a lot.  I mean, we've been working together for some time now...he can help you cope with the idea."

Hobbes shot Darien a quick smile before turning to Lori.  "My friend's right.  I can fill you in over dinner perhaps?"

Lori blushed; having been rather taken by Hobbes while she'd cared for him in the hospital. "Dinner does sound good," she agreed.

Pulling Claire aside as Hobbes continued his blatant attempt to flirt, Darien put on his most sincere puppy-dog look he could muster.

"Hey, Claire...I think we can leave Hobbes to take care of Lori.  I think you need some time off.  You look exhausted," which was very true.  

She had barely gotten any sleep in the past few days since returning home.  The last week, she had mainly spent dozing in hospital chairs in either Darien or Hobbes' rooms.  

"You know you may be right, Dahrien," she said.  "I am rather tired."

"Come on, I'll take you home," he told her, taking her by the arm and coaxing her out the door of the lab. "Hobbes!  I'm gonna take Claire home.  You behave. See you later Lori!"

The two waved Darien and Claire a goodnight and continued on with their evening plans.

Darien drove Claire back to her place and got out of the car.  Pavlov was barking energetically when they entered the door.  

"How's mommy's little baby?" Clarie cooed picking up Pavlov who proceeded to lick her face.

Darien smirked at Claire.

"What?" she asked him.

"Nothing..." Darien said trying to hold back a laugh as he recalled her antics when he followed her home invisibly.

Claire picked Pavlov up and carried him to the kitchen, Darien on her heels.  She rounded the corner of the counter, still talking to her dog.  

Darien quickly leaned over the counter and grabbed the box of dog treats, handing one to Pavlov.  

Claire gave him a quick glance as Darien grinned up at her.  She shook her head and moved towards the stairs.

"I'm gonna go lay down, Darien," she started.  "Make yourself at home...that is...if you'd like to stay."

"Thanks.  I might just crash on the couch for a while," he answered, rubbing his aching chest.  It still throbbed and no painkiller was doing the trick, at least not while he was working.

"Darien, I do have an extra room.  Come lay down upstairs.  You should be comfortable,"  She could read the pain on his face.  She wanted to help.

"Thanks, Claire." Darien grabbed a glass of water.  The percocet did help a little, but he couldn't take it during the day. It let him sleep better, without TOO much in the way of side effects.

Claire showed Darien her guest room and slowly walked off to sleep in her own room.  She set Pavlov down and changed into her nightgown.  She brushed her teeth and then laid down sighing, happy that the long day was over.

Darien jerked out of a deep sleep.  He heard a loud scream and ran down to Claire's room.

Claire was thrashing in her bed and Pavlov huddled in the corner.  From the look of him, this told Darien that her bad dreams happened several times.

Darien grabbed Claire and held her still.  "Ssshh! Claire.  It's OK. You're all right."

It took Claire a minute to register Darien's voice.  She started to sob and hugged him tightly.

"It's ok..." he whispered reaffirming her safety, as he stroked her hair.  "You're fine..."

She pulled her head back as the sleep left her.  She blinked back tears that were flooding her eyes and quickly realized who she was holding onto. 

"Darien..." she said softly not quite sure of her surroundings.

"Yeah, Claire.  You were having a pretty bad dream.  You alright?"

"Yes," she said quickly, perking up her voice.  "I wasn't dreaming,"  this was an obvious lie and Darien picked up on her fright as she pulled away from him and went back under the covers.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Darien asked looking into her eyes.

Claire tried to avoid his gaze. She just couldn't tell him...she had started remembering what had happened with Arnaud.  She didn't even want to believe it herself.  How she could have acted that way...with HIM...it just made her shiver all over.

Darien noticed Claire shivering and pulled her close to him.  "Anything at all...I care about you, Claire," Darien smoothed down her hair and looked deeply into her eyes.

Claire looked at him doubtfully.   She had feelings for him too, but she was just so unsure of everything. There was also the doctor-patient divide that she wasn't sure she should cross.  Would Darien even want to be near her if she told him?

Darien held onto Claire in a loving embrace and kissed her.  He'd wanted to do this for such a long time, and now just felt right.    

Claire melted with his kiss.  She did want this...

damn Arnaud for making her doubt herself...She clung to Darien as his kiss continued.

God, his lips were so soft, she couldn't help but to open herself up to his coaxing.  She raised her arm and pushed her fingers through his hair, pulling his weight down onto her as she laid back.

They pulled apart as her head hit the pillow.  They lay there forehead to forehead for a moment catching their breaths.  

Darien opened his eyes first and met her stare as she calmed herself and looked up at him.

Claire really wanted to continue, except her mind was still racing.  She wanted Darien very much.

"Claire?  Are you all right?" Darien asked noting the pensive look in her eyes.

"I...Darien..." she stuttered unable to put her thoughts into words.

"We can stop if you want.  I don't want to push you." Darien said softly, pushing the hair out of her face.

"It's not you. I just..."

"You can tell me, Claire." 

Claire's eyes welled with tears again.  She was ashamed of what happened. 

"It's the nightmare isn't it?  Was it about Arnaud?" Darien asked.  

Claire nodded unable to say anything.  

Darien hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I let him go last time. I'm so sorry he hurt you."

"It's not your fault, Darien."

         "

Yes it is.  I shouldn't have worried about those papers.  There wasn't anything useful there anyway. And he came back, and hurt you," Darien pounded his fist into a pillow.

Claire took Darien's hand in hers. "It wasn't YOUR fault.  He's a sociopathic bastard," Claire ran her hand down Darien's face.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," he smirked, showing a smile as she let out a small laugh.  "But I'm still sorry."

He moved down and kissed her forehead, her temple, her cheek ...sweetly moving down to her neck, savoring the scent that was her, light jasmine shampoo and ivory soap.

"Oh, Darien..." she moaned after he kissed her and slid her nightshirt off her shoulders.  

His kisses trailed down her neck and then her shoulder. 

She shivered under his touch. It had been a long time since she'd been with anyone, whom she cared for. A couple flings in college, which included Kevin, but nothing after that. 

Her work kept her late and caring for Gloria for ten years, she just didn't any time to think of anyone. She could see Darien has feelings for her. Way beyond the doctor patient relationship. 

***

Claire kissed Darien again and smiled, her eyes dancing.

Darien smiled back and moved to lie next to Claire. He brushed the hair out of her eyes.

Claire snuggled next to him, starting to doze off.

Darien hugged her protectively, hoping he could keep the bad dreams away. "I love you," he whispered and nuzzled her closely.          

***

Hobbes opened the door of the restaurant for Lori who stepped inside and began to shake off her coat.  

"Nice place," she said as Bobby came up behind her and took her jacket.  

"Yeah, it kinda grows on you," he replied as he hung it up.  "How bout a booth?"  He led her to the back wall where an empty booth waited for them. They settled in and each began restlessly playing with their hands on the table.  

"Um..." Lori started.  "Bobby, I think I need you to tell me something."

"Yeah, you may be right."

"I want everything."

She was so abrupt that it took him off guard.  "Everything?"

"Yep.  Don't leave out a detail.  Nothing has ever bothered me and will never bother me as much as being out of the loop.  So let's hear it,"  She stared right at him as he wriggled in his seat glancing around the room.

"Well...it's all very technical," he said trying his hardest at sounding serious.  

"Oh, I'm sure it is," she smartly remarked.

The next hour was spent with Hobbes revealing as much information as he could possibly part with.  What he felt was need to know.

Lori smiled as Hobbes told her about some of his other jobs and missions he'd had.  He had a wonderful personality and was very charming. The dinner was wonderful, and she didn't want the evening to end.

Hobbes picked up the check, and got Lori's coat for her. He even held the door for her on the way out.

***     

Claire woke with a start at the first feeling of those icy hands around her throat.  She shot up in bed, hair falling over her eyes and sat there catching her breath and steadying her heart.

"Darien..." she remembered quickly turning to the other side of the bed.  It was empty.  "Darien?" she said softly into the empty space of her room.

She got up slowly and grabbed her robe from the bathroom door, hugging it tightly around her against the cold.  Claire made her way down the stairs and rounded the corner to the kitchen.

It surprised her to find Darien sound asleep on the couch.  She turned to look back at the stairs and back at the sleeping man on her couch.  Had she dreamt what had happened?

Her heart began pounding in her throat as the thought of it came back to her.  It had all seemed so real.  She felt him so truly she was sure of what had happened last night. 

But then her nagging self-consciousness kicked in and berated her. "You probably just thought of him to rid yourself of the pain, Claire," she told herself standing in the middle of the living room.  "Arnaud or Darien...you choose..." she was blatantly talking to herself as Darien opened his eyes and watched her from the couch. 

"Everything ok?" he asked casually as he sat up, startling her.

"Sure," she said trying not to jump back. "Why didn't you stay in the guest room?"

"I couldn't sleep so I found a book and came down here. I guess I fell asleep," Darien got up and stretched trying to work the kink out of his back. "So are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, a little," she started trying to avoid his eyes. The images of last night were very vivid. She could still hear him saying that he loved her...and then his voice abruptly turned into Arnaud's. 'I will miss you, Claire, mon amour,' She turned away from Darien so he wouldn't see the look on her face.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Darien asked.

"Fine." 

"OK. I'm gonna run home and get a change of clothes. I'll be back to get you in an hour," Darien said as he grabbed his coat.

"Sure. See you then," Claire said softly.

She closed the door behind him. 'Why did that have to be a dream?' She started to cry. She had feelings for Darien, 'Why oh why did I have to dream that last night?' She got the vision Arnaud touching her and felt sick. She barely made it to the bathroom.

***     

"Yeah, Hobbes, it's Darien, look.." he said into the telephone as he pulled up outside of Claire's house and put the car in park.  "I need you to tell Lori to check out Claire when we get there ok?  And discreetly.  I think something's up, but she isn't saying," he nodded a few times before he hung up the cell phone and trotted up the walk to Claire's door.  He knocked once as he opened the door himself. "Claire?  You ready?" he called up the stairs.

"Yes I am," she said loudly from his side, making him jump backwards into the wall.  He cringed as his shoulder struck the door.

"Jesus, Claire.  Don't do that!" he said laughing.

"Sorry," she said concerned as she automatically reached for his shoulder, checking for damage.  "Are you alright?"

He chuckled as he replied "Yeah, fine."  But she held onto his arm anyway.

She remembered the way it felt as she moved her warm hand along it, feeling the taut muscles shiver as she touched him.

"How about you?  You ok?" he asked after a moment.  

Shaking her head she fell back into reality.  "Let's go," she said quickly as she dropped her hand and walked out the door.

Darien followed her with his eyes as she jogged to his car.  Locking the door behind him, he mentally forced himself to believe he hadn't seemed to enjoy that as much as he did.

Hobbes had just finished speaking to Lori as Darien and Claire came into the lab.

Claire checked Darien's tattoo and noticed he had three green sections left.  She had Lori follow her over to the fridge where the counteragent was. She showed Lori how to dilute the dosage and how much to inject.

Darien sat on the chair waiting for Claire to give him a shot.

Claire let Lori administer the counteragent, since she WAS going to be helping with this especially if Claire happened to get sick or something.

"Well, buddy, shall we go see what the boss man has for us today?" Hobbes asked.

"Sure. Might as well see how we get to keep the world safe today," Darien commented sighing slightly.

"So, Hobbes filled you in I assume?" Claire asked shortly as she helped Lori clean up.

"Yes, he certainly did."

"Any questions?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh...I'm sure there'll be a few along the way."  They both laughed a while before falling silent, listening to the clinking of metal and glass as they moved instruments around.

"How you doing, Claire?  Really?"

She took a moment to look over at Lori...to assess the concern in her voice.  "Honestly, Lori.  I've been better."

"Come on, Claire, sit down."  Lori led Claire over to the desk and watched as she gingerly sat down in the small chair.  "Tell me."

"They're just memories, Lori.  But they're so vivid they're killing me.  And these dreams...." she let out a big sigh.

"Dreams about...?"

Claire looked down at her hands as they twisted into a knot on her lap.  "Nightmares actually," she whispered, trying to hold back tears.

"Arnaud?"

She could only nod.  

"Ok."  Lori crouched down next to the chair and stroked Claire's back as tears began to fall.  "This can be helped, Claire.  We can do this."

"It's not just that, Lori.  It's...." she trailed off trying to find the words.  "My subconscious is helping me already.  And I don't know how, but I'm having a problem distinguishing between reality and dream."

"How so?"

"Last night...oh god..." she sighed realizing what she was about to say may sound crazy. "I was dreaming...it was horrible.." she choked back another wave of tears. "And then Darien was there."

"He went home with you last night," Lori said to reassure her.

"I know...I know...but he was my dream.  He was there. I think I put him there."

Lori understood completely.  "It's understandable, Claire.  Your mind is being battered and it's going for the first pleasant image it can recall.  It's nothing to get worked up about."

Claire nodded as the door to the keep slid open to Darien and Hobbes.  They both froze as they saw the tears on Claire's cheeks.  She quickly looked away, wiping the tears from her face.  

"She's alright, guys," Lori started.  'Let's talk outside for a minute,' she mouthed this to them as she lead them out into the hallway.

"What's going on?" Darien asked as soon as the door slid shut.

"She's been though a lot," Lori started. "Give her time. She's started to remember what happened and it's giving her nightmares. She hasn't given me any details, but I don't think there's too much to worry about. Ii takes time to recover and cope with something like this," Lori paced back and forth.

"She's gonna be ok, right?" Darien inquired looking into Lori's eyes.

"She will, just be gentle with her. I'll try and help her as much as I can," Lori said looking right back at Darien. 'I can see why she's added him to her dreams.  He cares a great deal about her, and it shows.'

"Thanks for helping Lori," Hobbes added. "Come on, partner, we have a job to do."

"Are you sure she'll be ok?" Darien asked.

"She just said so. Come on. We need to go," Hobbes insisted. "See you later, Lori."

"Goodbye."

Claire packed her bag up and laid it down on the desk as she waited for Darien to come back to pick her up.  She paced the lab checking vials, supplies, anything she could do to keep her mind busy.  She had been dreading seeing Darien all day for fear her knees may give out on her.  But she also longed for it and it was killing her.  

She walked over to the corner of the room where her rats were kept.  Darien had insisted she stop her experimenting on them and so she hadn't touched them in months.  

Opening the lid to their cage, she reached down to the floor for their food bowl and picked it up. Immediately she dropped it and watched the tiny pellets fall to the ground. A litter of what seemed like a dozen baby rats was curled up in the corner of the glass box, the mother rat hovering showing its teeth.  

Suddenly, the door to the keep slid open making Claire spin around.  Instantly, a man's grip fell around her throat and pushed her up against the wall.  Opening her eyes she saw his face.  Arnaud was back! "NO!" she screamed as his grip fell from her neck to her arms.  "Let go!"  She lashed out, feeling her blow fall on his cheek.

"Jesus!  Claire wake up!"  Darien shook her awake harshly as she fought him. 

"Get off!" she screamed one last time as she bolted up off the chair.  Darien's hands still held her arms as she sat there staring into his eyes.

"Claire, it's alright.  Are you awake now?"

She could see the red mark where her fist had struck him.

"Oh, god..Darien..."  her heart pounded.  She felt faint.  "Darien...I..." she barely leaned over fast enough to vomit onto the floor.  

"Alrighty..." he started getting up, pulling her hair back.  "Let's get you home."

Claire nodded at Darien miserably. She felt like she was losing her mind. She grabbed her bag and took a glance into the rat cage. Only one rat was sitting there running in its wheel. 

"Come on, Claire. I'll take you home," Darien held his arm out for her and she gripped it tight, almost making him wince. 'I almost wish Arnaud would get out of jail. Then I could kill him myself,'  Darien thought sourly. It was killing him to see Claire like this. She seemed almost a shell of her former self.

They passed Hobbes and Lori in the hallway on the way out. Hobbes was going to ask them if they wanted to join him and Lori for dinner, but kept quiet when he saw Claire's face. It spooked him to see her like this.

***

Arnaud sat in his cell awaiting his trial. He was annoyed that he had actually allowed himself to be captured. Next time he and Darien Fawkes met, one of them would die. He looked at his watch and sighed. He waited for his contact to show.

Darien helped Claire climb the stairs to her bedroom, holding the door open to her room.  

"Time to take it a bit easy, Claire," he said as he guided her in.  

"I'm just tired, Darien.  I think I just need some sleep."

"Yeah, I'd agree with that." He turned to leave the room, stopping as her hand closed around his arm.

"You're leaving?"  Her voice shook slightly in fear.

"No...no, I'm not leaving.  I'm gonna go grab you something to eat.  You gotta have something on your stomach."

She grimaced and turned her head away embarrassed. "Oh...right.."

"Why don't you get into some comfortable clothes?  I'll be right back up."

"Sure..." she said weakly as she began walking toward the bathroom.

Darien waited till she shut the door and heard the shower running before running down the stairs and into the kitchen.  He rummaged through the cupboards till he found a box of beef bouillon cubes. 

***     

This was so easy it made him laugh.  The guard showed at 10:00PM, as planned to transfer him to maximum security.  The car stood waiting outside the back door as usual, nothing suspicious.  "Ridiculous American prisons..." Arnaud chuckled as he sat himself in the back seat of the car, handcuffs still tight around his wrists. 

The guard got into the front seat and drove out of the alley.  "The key is in the cup holder, sir," he said to the man in the back seat.

Arnaud retrieved the set of keys and easily unlocked the cuffs.  He reached under the seat of the driver and produced a cell phone, a wry smile crept across his face as he dialed.

"It is a go," he said into the receiver and hung up promptly.  'It is all a go...' he laughed to himself.

Claire wrapped a towel around her hair and pulled her robe on. Pavlov wagged his tail happily as she emerged from the bathroom. She sat down wearily on the bed.

Darien knocked on the doorframe. "Can I come in?"

"Yes, Darien," Claire sighed.

Darien came in with a tray of food.  "Room service, Madame," he smiled.

Claire couldn't help smiling. He had made some beef broth and brought saltine crackers and some 7-up too.

"Try to eat some of this," he urged. He didn't like her pal our at all.

"I will," she nodded weakly.

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything," and he left her alone to eat.

Hobbes and Lori decided to go to dinner and see a movie. He let her pick the movie.

"So how long have you know Claire?" Hobbes asked they ate their dinner.

"Well, we met in med school, and were roommates for a short time.  You're worried about her too?" Lori noticed.

"Yeah. I mean we're like a family. Me, Fawkes and the Keeper," Hobbes commented. 

"I can tell. I'm sure she'll be fine. She just needs time. I promise to help her out as much as I can," Lori added putting her hand on Hobbes' arm.

"I really appreciate that," Hobbes smiled squeezing her hand.

Lori blushed. Hobbes was very charming when he wanted to be, and she hoped their relationship could develop into something more. 

***     

He reached the hotel at a little past five o'clock, registering under an alias and ordering a large plate of food to be taken up to his room immediately.  

He was sick of jail slop. Hanging his coat up in the room closet, Arnaud sat down on the large bed and picked up the phone. Everything was working lovely but he needed one last piece to fall into place.  

"Are you ready?" he asked calmly into the phone piece.

"Yes, sir.  The key is in place.  Front door secure."

"Wonderful.  Forget we spoke."  He hung up slowly once again laughing.  "This is almost too easy," he said to the empty room.  

***

Claire sipped on the broth savoring its flavor and warmth.  It felt so good going down.  Pavlov slept peacefully at the foot of her bed, snoring his little doggy snore.  It made her smile.  

She placed the mug down and pushed the tray off to the side.  Gathering her robe around her, she crept to the door.  It was so quiet, she wanted to make sure Darien was even still there.

Pavlov heard her move and perked his head up, giving a little bark.  "SHH!  Pavlov, quiet!"  she said as softly but as firmly as she could.  She walked back to the bed to quiet her dog down.  Turning back to the door, she smacked right into Darien.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, surveying the room.  

She couldn't help but laugh.  "Nothing!  Darien, nothing's wrong."

"I heard him bark," he said pointing at the dog on the bed.

"Well, he does that from time to time."  

"Oh, ok..." he trailed off still a little suspicious.  

"Darien, you don't have to be so worried."

"Yeah, actually I do," he answered her taking a step back and moving straining his neck to see into the bathroom.  He wouldn't let up.

"It's rather endearing." 

"Huh?" he asked stopping his search, coming back to stand in front of her.

"I said...it's rather endearing."

"Oh..."  He wasn't sure how to answer that. 

"I'm fine, really I am," Claire insisted.

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I am. See, I even ate some food," she motioned to the tray.

"Alright, Claire. Will you be ok if I leave for an hour or so? I need to go back to my place and feed 'Darien' and get a change of clothes."

"I think I'll survive for an hour," she smiled and Darien nodded and went back downstairs.

***     

Arnaud reached the agency at a quarter past seven.  The sun was down and the lights were out as requested. He looked over his shoulder, looking for eyes, but didn't find any.  

He reached above the door jam, loosening a brick above the glass.  The key fell out of its cubby into his palm.  Smiling wryly, he put the brick back in place and took a stroll down the sidewalk.  

The car waited for him down the block.  Arnaud silently got in on the passenger side.  The driver clenched the steering wheel with his gloved hands. 

"Let's go, Eberts," he said casually.

"Yes, sir."  The car started and Eberts maneuvered it down the street towards Claire's house.

He made Eberts park a block down from Claire's driveway, keeping out of sight.  He casually strolled up the sidewalk of the peaceful street, avoiding the lights of the street lamps.  When Claire's door came into view, he paused, stepping back behind a line of hedges.

The light from the upstairs window was on but dimly lit.  It must have been coming from a back bedroom somewhere.  Arnaud fingered the key in his pocket as he stepped back to the sidewalk and placed his foot on the lawn.

A tiny growl startled him as he stepped onto the grass.  Pavlov stood not ten feet from him, teeth glaring and snarling.  

"Nice doggy," he said in a soothing voice, taking his foot from the grass and taking a step back.  "Good little dog..."

A sharp, loud whistle startled him for a second time, causing him to hurriedly jump back behind the hedge.  

"Pavlov!  Come on, buddy...what are you doing out here?"  came Darien's voice from the driveway.  The dog ran across the yard and jumped up into Darien's arms.  "Aren't you cold?"  he asked sweetly as he hugged the dog against him, walking toward the door.

"Merde!" Arnaud cursed himself.  He watched as Darien opened the door and let himself in.  Arnaud turned angrily and marched back down the sidewalk towards Eberts.

Darien and Claire showed up in the lab the next day. Hobbes was pacing back and forth in the lab. And Lori was trying to look busy.

"Mornin' Hobbes," Darien said as he came in.

"Hey, big guy," Hobbes started. "Boss man needs to see us A.S.A.P."

"Anything wrong?" Darien asked.

"No," Hobbes replied trying to sound convincing. "Just a new assignment."

Darien followed Hobbes out of the lab giving him a glare. They stopped just outside the Official's office.  "OK, Hobbes, what's wrong?"

"Arnaud escaped from prison last night. I didn't want to say anything in front of Claire with her...you know...the way she is right now."

Darien pounded his fist into the wall. "How? How did he get out?"

The Official opened his door when heard the noise outside. "Come in, gentlemen."

"So what's the status, sir?" Hobbes asked.

Darien glowered at both of them. 

"It not only seems that Arnaud has escaped, he still has control of Eberts," the Official sighed.

"So, lackey boy isn't as loyal as we thought, eh boss?" Hobbes sneered.

"Shut up, Hobbes!" the Official barked.

"Wait, wait, Hobbes is right. If Eberts helped Arnaud escape, than he's no longer playing for our side," Darien hissed the memory of the gunshot wound fresh in his mind.  

"Find him,"  The Official barked the order at the two agents loudly and stared them down.

"Yes, sir," replied Hobbes angrily as he turned to leave.  Darien remained in front of the desk looking down at the man.

"What is it Fawkes," he asked annoyed.

"Well I figured you should know," he started with a glare in his eyes.  "If I see him, I WILL kill him."

"Do what you have to do," the official finally answered after a long pause.  "But I want Eberts unharmed."

"I'm not promising anything," Darien growled as he quickly turned and followed Hobbes out the door.

Hobbes and Darien stormed down the hall and out of the building. Both too angry to say anything else.

Claire eyed Lori suspiciously. Lori was very nervous because Hobbes had told her about Arnaud. She wasn't sure how well Claire would take the news in her current condition. 

"So, are you feeling any better today?" Lori asked trying to break the tension.

"Some. My stomach was still a bit uneasy when I woke up. I don't know maybe I'm coming down with something," Claire answered.

"You should go home then. No good to work yourself into exhaustion." 

"I'll get some sleep tonight I'm sure.  Having Darien there is a real comfort."

"I'm sure," Lori replied with a small wink.  

"Stop that, Lori," Claire said with a giggle. "We're dear friends, nothing more."  She covered her face with her hands and sighed, rubbing her cheeks as she yawned.

"You're really pale, Claire."

"Well, I've been sick."

"No...I mean REALLY pale."  Lori got up off her chair and crossed over to her friend.  "Up in the chair, doctor.  I'm gonna take some blood."

***     

Lori gave Claire a ride home and offered to stay with her.  She knew she should have someone there and was very insistent.  

"I'm just gonna stay here with you until Darien comes, alright?" she said as she locked the door behind them and took a quick peek out the window.  

Claire quietly made her way into the living room and plopped herself onto the couch, bag still in hand. 

Lori went over and sat down on the coffee table facing her, taking the bag.  

"This is going to be ok, Claire," she said reassuringly.  "You can handle this."

Claire nodded as she stared straight ahead into oblivion.  She heard and saw nothing.  The tears began to pour down her face as she crouched over and curled up on the couch sobbing.  

Lori stroked her hair and tried to comfort her.

'This can't be happening!' Claire's mind raced. 'I just can't believe...' Claire felt very sick again. She bolted up from the couch and almost tripped over Pavlov on the way to the bathroom.

Lori got up and paced back and forth down the hall. Hobbes had told her about how Darien reacted when he saw Arnaud the last time. If he hadn't given Darien the counteragent he would have killed him. 

She hoped Darien would get here soon. She'd been too afraid for Claire's mental state to tell her about Arnaud escaping. And now with this...maybe luck would be with them and Arnaud would be recaptured before Claire found out.

Claire came back into the room. She walked so softly, almost like a ghost. Her eyes were red and puffy with a very haunted look. Pavlov pined for attention, but Claire didn't even seem to notice him.

***

Darien was fuming as he and Hobbes walked down to the lab. They spent the whole day searching for Arnaud and Eberts with no luck. He took a deep breath before entering the lab. He almost freaked when he saw it was empty. Then he saw a note on Claire's computer.

Darien, 

I took Claire home. Please come to her place as soon as you read this. I'll be staying with her until you get here. Hurry. It's very important. 

Thanks, Lori

"What do you think is wrong, Hobbes?" Darien asked as they went back out to the van.

"She probably told Claire about Arnaud escaping," Hobbes guessed. "I'm thinking Claire wouldn't take it too well."

"I KNOW that, Hobbes. But I thought the whole idea of you telling me out of her earshot was to keep her from knowing right away,"  Darien added angrily.

"I don't know. Maybe it's something else. We won't know until we get there," Hobbes countered.

They pulled up to Claire's house as the sun was going down.  Darien slammed the door angrily closed and made his way up the driveway.

"Never let 'em see ya sweat," Hobbes interjected.

Darien spun on him, "Do you not grasp what is going on?  Huh?!" he asked angrily.

"I understand completely, my friend.  I think it's you who's having the problem.  We've got a very scared lady in that house and you storming around throwing a temper tantrum right now is NOT what she needs!"

Hobbes and Darien stared at each other for a heartbeat before Darien rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.  "I'm fine,"  He turned and headed for the door.

"That's the way.." Hobbes said quietly as his partner opened the front door.

"Claire?" Darien called as he walked into the foyer leaving the door ajar for Hobbes.

"In here," came Lori's voice from the living room.   

Claire was stretched out on the couch, Pavlov curled up at her feet.  Lori got up off the chair she was dozing in and walked over to the men.  

"She's not doing too well, guys."

"How long she been out?" Darien asked concerned.

"About an hour.  I think we need to just let her sleep this one out."

"Yeah, okay," he said quietly as he bent down and gingerly picked Claire up.  "I'm gonna take her upstairs."

"I'll drive you home," Hobbes told Lori.  "I don't want you alone either."

"Kay," she said without argument.  "Darien?"  she said quickly.

"Yeah," he said from the bottom of the stairs.

"If she wakes up, she doesn't know anything.  I didn't tell her."

"Thanks, Lori."  He began climbing.  

"Come on, let's go, they'll be fine."  Hobbes grabbed Lori's coat from the back of the couch and swung it across her shoulders as they headed out the door.  He stopped to make sure the door was locked and watched as Darien took Claire into the bedroom, Pavlov close on his heels. 

Lori climbed into the van, very numb from the day she'd just had.

"You want to talk about it?" Hobbes asked with a sincere look on his face.

Lori just sat for a moment. This was Claire's life, but she knew that Bobby considered Claire family.

"That bad, huh," Hobbes added in response to her silence.

"Bobby, how much do you know about what happened with Arnaud?" Lori asked.

"What do you mean? I know that he messed with her mind and stuff. What are you saying?" and before she could reply his mind kicked in. 'Claire makes the cutest sounds when she...' he heard Arnaud's voice in his head. He slammed the brakes and the van lurched to a stop. He looked over at Lori, his eyes starting to tear with rage. "Please tell me that  you aren't saying what I think you're saying."

Lori just nodded slowly. "She almost collapsed in the lab.  She hadn't fully remembered until I tested her blood and she found out."

"I'm gonna kill that bastard," Hobbes growled.

"I don't think that would help. The damage is already done, I'm afraid."

Darien laid Claire gently onto the bed, making sure she seemed comfortable.  He smoothed her hair down and began to stand when her arm clenched around his wrist.

"Darien?" she mumbled.

"Claire...go back to sleep."

"No, Darien...where are you going?"

She seemed so out of it he wasn't sure if she was talking in her sleep or not.  "Nowhere.  I'm just gonna..."

"Stay here," she said starting to cry again.

"Hey hey hey..." he said, his heart breaking.  "Claire, come on, it's ok."  He sat down on the bed next to her, handing her a tissue from the nightstand. 

"No...it's not," she whimpered.  "I just....I don't.."

"Okay, come on...close your eyes," he told her softly.  He stretched himself out next to her, holding her close as she continued to sob.  He stroked her hair and held her until she fell asleep in his arms.  

It didn't take long for him to follow.  His mind was racing and he knew he should be out on the street looking for Arnaud.  But he also knew he was needed here....and it felt more important to him right now.

All the lights were out.  He loved it.  He laughed to himself as he jogged across the lawn, watching for that little mutt as he ran passed the hedges.  

He slipped the key into the lock on the door, pushing it open with ease.  No sound alerted him that anyone was wise to him.  Shutting the door behind him, Arnaud bounded up the stairs quietly and paused at Claire's doorway.  

The door was open and he could see her form lying on the bed.  His adrenaline pumped, as it never had before as he stalked his way across the carpeting.  He could smell her perfume, 'Lady of the Lake', in the air.  

His eyes attempted to adjust to the dark room as he came up alongside the bed.  Reaching out to stroke her hair, he smiled.  

"Wake up, Claire," he sang to her as he bent down. "Claire..."

The little dog charged out from under the bed, instantly attaching himself to Arnaud's ankle.  

"AAAHHH!" he yelled waking the two sleepers.  "Get off me you mangy mutt!"  He tried to kick the dog off but Pavlov held tight.  

Darien was the first to shoot up from the bed.  "No!" he yelled as he tried to grab hold of the struggling man.  "Arnaud, you son of a...!"  but Arnaud was quicker.

He yanked Claire up from her position on the bed, immediately drawing his gun from the back of his pants.  "I didn't want it to come to this," he said wearily, still trying to beat the dog away as he dragged a startled Claire from the bed.

"Let her go, Arnaud," Darien growled as he launched from the mattress to the ground in front of them.

"Darien..." Claire said quietly, waking finally to this scene.

"It's ok, Claire... he's not going to hurt you."

"You don't know that!" Arnaud hissed back.  "God damnit!  Get this dog off of me!"  He kicked as hard as he could, sending Pavlov sailing across the room into the dresser, knocking him out.  

"Oh... now that was stupid," Darien said calmly taking another step closer.  

"Stop, Fawkes.  This isn't a game," Arnaud said as he smiled and cocked the gun.

Darien stopped and glared at Arnaud. He couldn't risk Arnaud shooting her. "What do you want?" Darien asked hoping to trick Arnaud into letting up his hold on Claire.

"What I want is simple, the information disks WITH the codes, in exchange for her. Small price to pay don't you think?"

Claire's eyes shot open. She'd finally throw off enough of the sleepiness to realize the situation. "No, Darien, you can't give it to him!" she pleaded.

"You make the call monsieur, but know this, I WILL kill her just to get to you. Remember Kevin?"

Darien winced and took the cell phone out of his pocket.

...to be continued

Any feedback would be great....


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